Jeddah Central Project Set to Be Prominent Development Project in Kingdom’s Vision 2030

Jeddah Central Project will push the Saudi city into a development movement that will enhance its presence among the top 100 global cities (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jeddah Central Project will push the Saudi city into a development movement that will enhance its presence among the top 100 global cities (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Jeddah Central Project Set to Be Prominent Development Project in Kingdom’s Vision 2030

Jeddah Central Project will push the Saudi city into a development movement that will enhance its presence among the top 100 global cities (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jeddah Central Project will push the Saudi city into a development movement that will enhance its presence among the top 100 global cities (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz launched a development plan for the Jeddah Central Project on Friday. The undertaking sets out to be one of the most prominent development projects of the Kingdom’s national program for transformation, Vision 2030.

It aims to develop the city of Jeddah in support of its ambitions to become one of the top 100 cities in the world.

The project will contribute to developing a vital area suitable for recreation, entertainment, and shopping, transforming the city into a unique destination for various segments of society, including residents and visitors.

The project will be implemented by the Public Investment Fund’s Central Jeddah Development in three phases, the first of which will be completed by the end of the year 2027.

Downtown Jeddah will then begin to receive residents and visitors from inside and outside the Kingdom.

The project aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, especially developing tourism sites that live up to the highest international standards. It also provides investment opportunities that contribute to the development of the private sector and the tourism, hospitality, and entertainment sector.

In addition, the city will benefit from the building and development of modern residential areas, encompassing 17,000 residential units and diversified hotel projects that offer more than 2,700 hotel rooms, and the provision of integrated solutions for the business sector.

The project will feature a world-class marina and stunning beach resorts, as well as restaurants and cafes and diverse shopping options.

The waterfront of the project is 9.5 km long, which includes a promenade, a marina to host local and international yachts, and a 2.1 km long beach. Open spaces and public services make up a significant part of the project area, with the provision of designated walking areas to create a walkable environment.



Aramco Signs Over $25 Billion of Deals for Main Gas Network, Jafurah Gas Field

This picture shows Aramco tower (C) at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh on April 16, 2023. (AFP via Getty Images)
This picture shows Aramco tower (C) at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh on April 16, 2023. (AFP via Getty Images)
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Aramco Signs Over $25 Billion of Deals for Main Gas Network, Jafurah Gas Field

This picture shows Aramco tower (C) at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh on April 16, 2023. (AFP via Getty Images)
This picture shows Aramco tower (C) at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh on April 16, 2023. (AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco has signed contracts worth more than $25 billion for the second phase of the expansion of its Jafurah gas field and the third phase of expanding its main gas network, its CEO Amin Nasser said on Sunday.

Jafurah is the kingdom's largest unconventional non-oil associated gas field and is potentially the biggest shale gas development outside the United States, with reserves reaching 229 trillion cubic feet of gas and 75 billion barrels of condensates.

"By generating an anticipated 2 billion standard cubic feet per day of sales gas by 2030, this bold initiative will strengthen Saudi Arabia's position as one of the top national gas producers in the world", said Nasser, speaking of the Jafurah field at a contracts award ceremony in Dhahran.

The main gas network expansion will add 4,000 more kilometers of pipelines, boosting capacity by around 3.2 billion standard cubic feet per day and connecting several additional cities from across the country to the network, he said.

The awarded contracts are worth more than $25 billion, and will target sales gas production growth of more than 60% by 2030, compared to 2021 levels.

The contract awards "demonstrate our firm belief in the future of gas as an important energy source, as well as a vital feedstock for downstream industries. The scale of our ongoing investment at Jafurah and the expansion of our Master Gas System underscores our intention to further integrate and grow our gas business to meet anticipated rising demand," Nasser noted.

"This complements the diversification of our portfolio, creates new employment opportunities, and supports the Kingdom’s transition towards a lower-emission power grid, in which gas and renewables gradually displace liquids-based power generation. To get where we are today, a lot of hard work, innovation and a strong ‘can do’ spirit has been demonstrated by teams across our vast network of suppliers and service providers, who have joined Aramco on this journey to build and expand our world-class energy infrastructure,” he added.

According to Aramco, the Company has awarded 16 contracts, worth a combined total of around $12.4 billion, for phase two development at Jafurah. The work will involve construction of gas compression facilities and associated pipelines, expansion of the Jafurah Gas Plant including construction of gas processing trains, and utilities, sulfur and export facilities. It will also involve construction of the Company’s new Riyas Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) fractionation facilities in Jubail — including NGL fractionation trains, and utilities, storage and export facilities — to process NGL received from Jafurah.

Another 15 lump sum turnkey contracts, worth a combined total of around $8.8 billion, have been awarded to commence the phase three expansion of the Master Gas System, which delivers natural gas to customers across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The expansion, being conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy, will increase the size of the network and raise its total capacity by an additional 3.15 billion standard cubic feet per day (bscfd) by 2028, through the installation of around 4,000km of pipelines and 17 new gas compression trains.

An additional 23 gas rig contracts worth $2.4bn have also been awarded, along with two directional drilling contracts worth $612 million. Meanwhile, 13 well tie-in contracts at Jafurah, worth a total of $1.63bn, have been awarded between December 2022 and May 2024.