Saudi Arabia has announced several ambitious plans to launch a wave of megaprojects that are set to transform the country into a global economic powerhouse, as reported by Arabian Business.
With investment totaling billions of dollars, the kingdom is embarking on a journey to diversify its economy away from oil, create jobs, and boost its international standing as a leading hub for trade and tourism.
Here is a look at here is a look at three upcoming megaprojects set to transform the nation:
King Salman Energy Park
Known as SPARK, the King Salman Energy Park, is a brand-new industrial ecosystem being developed as a hub for the global energy market.
With the region’s reputation for oil and gas resources and a high demand for energy goods and services, SPARK is in the perfect position to offer unparalleled access to growth opportunities, world-class support services, and supply chain efficiencies.
SPARK’s strategic location is what sets it apart, providing tenants and investors with a gateway to access energy players across the world, not just locally but throughout the wider Gulf region as well.
Additionally, with easy access to King Fahd International Airport, King Abdul-Aziz Seaport, and the GCC highway, tenants and investors are sure to enjoy maximum convenience.
SPARK’s development is in line with the Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 plan, which aims to diversify the Kingdom’s revenue streams by building a strong economy.
This ambitious project is set to contribute over $6 billion to the country’s GDP annually and create up to 100,000 jobs in the long run.
SPARK’s vision is to be a leading industrial ecosystem with sustainability at its core, serving as a platform for the energy sector.
By providing world-class infrastructure and services, SPARK aims to help investors grow their businesses, while also bringing sustained value to the communities it serves.
As SPARK prepares for its grand opening, energy sector players are encouraged to take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to expand their businesses and take advantage of the many benefits SPARK has to offer.
From its excellent location to its top-notch support services, SPARK is set to become a 21st-century platform for the energy sector, fostering excellence and innovation, and propelling the industry into a bright future.
The LINE
Saudi Arabia’s The Line at NEOM, is an upcoming futuristic linear city, which will be built using “a lot of artificial intelligence to design through a digital twin backbone,” NEOM’s executive director Giles Pendleton said in an internal interview.
The project is part of the $500 billion NEOM project, a futuristic city with a mixed-use development, containing spaces for work, play and living.
“We’ve got to build quite a lot of real estate in a short space of time. Well, we’re not actually building THE LINE. We’re assembling it from a series of modular pieces that are pre-engineered and predetermined as to what they do,” Pendleton said when asked about building a new city of nine million inhabitants in a short period of time.
The linear city, which is being built in the kingdom’s north-west Tabuk province, recently saw excavators digging a wide trench in the desert.
The Line’s mirror facade will allow the city to seamlessly blend into the nature around it. With a reduced infrastructure footprint, the linear city will have no roads, cars or emissions, running on 100 percent renewable energy with 95 percent of land preserved for nature. The city is built to prioritise health and well-being over transportation and infrastructure.
The city will be just 200 metres wide but 170 kilometres long and 500 meters above sea level with ideal climate throughout the year and a high-speed rail offering residents end-to-end transit in 20 minutes.
Pendleton also revealed that The Line will have a “one door-lock system.”
“But, if we need 100 million of them, then it’s easier for us to set up a factory and create exactly the same block 100 million times. We will create a very simple process with optimised, standardised and industrialised production whereby things are made in factories in large-scale volumes within NEOM – so that we don’t have to transport them far. Think of it like a giant assembly kit. The great thing about pre-engineered parts is that you can control quality and you can control dimensions, so that things connect.”
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said “The Line” will embody “Zero Gravity Urbanism,” where city functions are layered vertically.
“The designs revealed today for the city’s vertically layered communities will challenge the traditional flat, horizontal cities and create a model for nature preservation and enhanced human livability,” he said in a statement.
The crown prince said The Line “will tackle the challenges facing humanity in urban life today and will shine a light on alternative ways to live,” adding that residents will be able to reach all daily needs within a five-minute walk in “The Line,” where public parks and pedestrian areas, schools, homes and places for work are “layered.”
There will also reportedly be a high-speed rail with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes.
Oxagon
Saudi Arabia’s NEOM is building a floating city, Oxagon, in the Red Sea, near the Suez Canal.
The city is designed to revolutionise global manufacturing by creating a new logistics centre that will redefine the world’s approach to industrial development.
The city’s unique shape reflects its name, and it will mainly comprise factories, manufacturing facilities, and logistics-related sites, though it will also house around 90,000 residents by 2030.
The city will be one of the world’s most technologically advanced logistics hubs, with state-of-the-art integrated port and airport connectivity.
It will focus on seven sectors: sustainable energy; autonomous mobility; water innovation; sustainable food production; health and well-being; technology and digital manufacturing; and modern methods of construction.
The city is planned around the Kingdom’s net-zero goals and will feature the world’s first fully integrated port and supply chain ecosystem.
OXAGON already has confirmed tenants, including Air Products, ACWA Power, and NEOM’s hydrogen project, Gulf Modular International, Hyzon Motors, and Desert Technologies.
Oxagon will also include residential communities that are integrated with nature, and most of the communities will be waterfront.
They will be cooled and controlled using the ocean’s natural moderating effects, and they will be resilient to sea-level rise. People can commute via hydrogen-powered modes of transportation or walk to their destinations.
Oxagon will also feature an innovation campus that will rival established global centers. It will create a collaborative environment built around research and innovation to create a truly circular economy.
The city’s full completion is expected by 2030, and some of its key features, including advanced logistics solutions facilities, are expected to take shape by 2025.
