The Budwa coast on the Mediterranean coast, the energy storage site beside the Suez Canal, the energy park in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and three project sites thousands of kilometers apart are synchronously organizing a new network of overseas infrastructure cooperation along the the Belt and Road in the second half of 2026. According to the latest industry data, from January to September 2026, the newly signed contract amount of China's foreign contracted projects in countries along the the Belt and Road increased by 8.7% year on year, and the proportion of energy and transportation projects exceeded 60% for the first time.

The Budva Ring Road in Montenegro has officially started construction

On October 5, 2026, the project groundbreaking ceremony was held in Budva, a coastal tourist city in Montenegro. It was jointly implemented by an international consortium consisting of five enterprises from China, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Shandong Expressway Group as a core member participating in the construction. The total contract amount of the project is approximately 237 million euros, covering core projects such as roads, bridges, tunnels, etc. The expected construction period is 4 years.

This 8-kilometer-long ring road, consisting of 70% tunnels and bridges, will directly divert the transit traffic that flows into the main urban area of Budva during the summer tourism season. The congestion time in the local core scenic area is expected to be reduced by 70%, while also opening up a key breakpoint on the cross-border road along the Adriatic Sea coast.

Egypt Horus Energy Storage Power Station completes the topping out of the main control building

The Horus 250 MW 525 MWh independent energy storage power station located in the Zafarana area of Suez Province, Egypt, has recently successfully completed the topping out of the main control building and 33 kV switch building structures, and the construction of the battery compartment and energy storage inverter compartment foundations in the energy storage area has been synchronously completed. The project is jointly contracted and promoted by multiple units under China Energy Engineering Corporation, and is a benchmark supporting project for Egypt's 2030 clean energy strategy.

After the power station is put into operation, it will provide millisecond level flexible peak shaving support for the nearby Zafarana wind farm. The local new energy curtailment rate is expected to decrease from the current 18% to below 5%, and it can support the integration and consumption of over 400 million kilowatt hours of clean electricity annually.

Saudi Arabia compressor assembly plant project officially wins bid

China Construction Installation International Corporation recently won the bid for the EPC project of Hanhua Power Saudi Arabia Compressor Assembly Plant. The project is located in the Salman King Energy Park in Saudi Arabia, covering a total area of approximately 11400 square meters and a building area of approximately 3260 square meters, covering the entire process of industrial plant design, procurement, and construction.

After the completion of the project, it will fill the gap in the local high-end power compressor assembly capacity in Saudi Arabia, and can meet the local assembly needs of nearly a hundred core compression equipment in the oil and gas field every year, significantly reducing the dependence of Saudi Arabia's energy industry on imported core equipment. Key words: infrastructure projects, the Belt and Road

From the coastal roads in the Balkans to the energy storage power stations in the North African desert, to the advanced manufacturing plants in the Gulf region, the construction sites along the the Belt and Road are continuously transforming the blueprint of connectivity cooperation into a tangible development reality.Editor/Cheng Liting