The mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) sector of the UAE construction industry will be buoyed by investment in tourism and hospitality development, leading industry executives have said.
In a report by Zawya Projects, Fabio Sbacches, MEP manager at LC Partners Engineering Consultants, said that the sector was likely to see 5% growth in 2016, with 2017 likely to be “even bigger”. He estimated that the current total value of the MEP market in the UAE was around $1.9 billion.
“This is a market that will increase step by step – next year it will grow 20 percent for sure,” Sbacches said, adding the MEP sector had not been hurt by the broader slowdown in the construction industry.
“[The MEP sector] is not struggling at all,” he continued, pointing out that the MEP market would benefit from opportunities related to Dubai hosting Expo 2020, and with new tourism developments and investment flowing into the UAE construction market.
Nathan Cartwright, partner at Godwin Austen Johnson, a consulting firm that operates in the MEP sphere, added that the sector was “looking pretty bright in the UAE”, because of an increase in retrofit and refurbishment opportunities.