Gulf Construction Online - Bechtel wins Neom infrastructure PM deal

Saudi Focus

Once completed, Neom will be one of the largest, most sophisticated and advanced infrastructure projects ever undertaken globally.

Saudi Focus

Bechtel wins Neom infrastructure PM deal

01 September 2020

Bechtel, a global leader in engineering, procurement and construction, has secured a major contract for executive project management work on the development of the primary, base infrastructure for Saudi Arabia’s futuristic $500-billion city Neom.

The contract was awarded by Neom Company as the kingdom’s giga-project advances work to create the world’s leading destination to attract talent and investment.

Neom selected Bechtel to oversee and create resource-efficient utilities and a highly advanced transport system to connect its cognitive cities, said the Saudi company.

Integrating sustainable land use, intelligent urban design and multi-modal mobility, Neom will deliver a community of exceptional liveability.

The scope of work includes simultaneous construction in multiple locations requiring extraordinary engineering solutions in challenging terrain, it stated.

Neom’s next-generation cognitive cities will support its cutting-edge urban environments, improving the lives of residents and businesses far beyond the capabilities of today’s smart cities.

On the contract award, CEO Nadhmi Al Nasr said: “Built from the ground up as a model of future living, Neom will be one of the largest, most sophisticated and advanced infrastructure projects ever undertaken globally, and we are delighted to have a major industry leader like Bechtel on board to work with us to realise our ambitions.”

Neom’s infrastructure will utilise artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and human-machine fusion to deliver greater predictive intelligence and enable faster decision making across all its sectors, he added.

Bechtel Chairman and CEO Brendan Bechtel said: “Neom is one of the most complex projects in living memory and we are proud to be part of it. The vision for a futuristic, innovative and sustainable ecosystem is unique and bold, and we believe it will change the way new cities are developed by future generations.”

“We have helped our customers shape the kingdom’s history with many key projects and we are honoured to be a partner in building its future,” noted Bechtel.

Bechtel has deep experience of working in the kingdom, having been involved in many other high-profile Saudi projects, including Jubail Industrial City and the Riyadh Metro.

In its role as executive project manager, Bechtel will draw on over 120 years of industry experience to deliver a lasting positive impact in Neom.

A mega Saudi project, Neom will be home to an economy and society oriented to the future with a technologically advanced, sustainable infrastructure powered by 100 per cent renewable energy to support truly liveable cities.

The kingdom’s futuristic city has accelerated work this year in many areas including a contract with Saudi telecom giant, stc, for the establishment of a 5G network infrastructure that will accelerate Neom’s digital ambitions. It also signed a $5-billion partnership with US-based Air Products and Saudi Acwa Power to develop the world’s largest green hydrogen and green ammonia plant to be operational in 2025.

The deal with stc is Neom’s first step towards creating the world’s leading cognitive cities that rely on leading technology for digital services.

Neom’s next generation cognitive cities will support its cutting-edge urban environments, improving the lives of residents and businesses far beyond the capabilities of today’s smart cities. It will use one of the most advanced 5G technologies in the world, to enable the proactive exchange and analysis of data between Neom residents and city infrastructure.

In addition to the one-year contract to develop the network, the partnership also includes the development of an innovation centre in Neom to explore new 5G opportunities, it added.

stc will build a wireless 5G network enabling present and future 5G applications across Neom.

With a speed and capacity 10 times higher than standard 4G networks, 5G in Neom will enable numerous segments such as Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics, virtual reality, augmented reality, smart homes, and autonomous vehicles. It will also provide the public safety network for Neom security services.

Commenting on the agreement, Al Nasr said: “We are glad to form this partnership with a leading national digital enabler such as stc to support our ambition and goal to be an accelerator of human progress and to create the world’s leading digitally sustainable, cognitive cities. Neom’s infrastructure will utilise AI, robotics, and human-machine fusion to deliver greater predictive intelligence and enable faster decision making across all Neom sectors.”

“The procurement and deployment of a future-proof wireless network is a critical first for Neom in realising our goal of driving innovation in the future digital economy,” stated Al Nasr.

CEO of stc Group, Engineer Nasser bin Sulaiman Al Nasser said: “This agreement reflects our commitment to enabling digital transformation and providing digital solutions across the kingdom.

“We are proud to have been chosen to build the infrastructure for the 5G network and an innovation centre in Neom.”

As per the deal, Neom will also trial and test 5G solutions that will allow it to lead in fast-growing, future-focused sectors such as robotics, artificial Intelligence (AI), and human machine interface technologies.