Jubail 2 is considered by many to be the world’s largest civil engineering project. It consists of an 83 km2 industrial development started in 2005 in the city of Jubail, 490 km northeast of Riyadh.
The current population of Jubail is 380,000. The new development, when complete, is likely to double the size of the current city. Jubail was a fishing village until 1975, at which time the first “Jubail Industrial City” was built. At the turn of the century, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia decided a big expansion was necessary.
The project is being constructed in four phases over 22 years. Phase 1 is already built and consists of eight blocks of industrial land. Phases 2 and 3 include another 7 blocks, and various support industries and power facilities. Phase 4 includes four blocks for aluminum and smelting industries. The Kingdom is hoping to stimulate the mining industry.
The project requires 35 million cubic metres of earthmoving. Also, to meet demand for coolant water in the industrial complex, 4.0 m diameter pipelines are being installed to serve the industries with seawater.
Both original and new Jubail 2 Industrial City are being designed and managed by Bechtel.
The project is estimated at $3.8 billion.
