Saudi Arabia is one of the UK’s major trading partners in the Middle East, and its Vision 2030 plan to help it diversify away from dependence on oil includes major building projects. So is the kingdom a good place for UK construction firms to do business? In general terms and subject to regional stability, the picture is positive.

Saudi Arabia may have over 20% of the world’s oil, with the oil industry contributing a substantial part of its GDP, but it now has other ambitions. The scale of its construction programme is eye-watering, involving not just megaprojects, but gigaprojects. In the worth-west of the country, Neom is a $500bn project to build a futuristic city, reportedly 33 times the size of New York. Qiddiya entertainment city is said to be more than twice the size of Disney World in Orlando and the Red Sea Project and Amaala are also massive and ambitious projects, targeting tourism. The Jeddah Tower, at an estimated height of 1km, showcases the kingdom’s architectural ambition while the Sakani housing programme has a target of building 500,000 homes. There are a variety of other impressive projects in the pipeline, including the Riyadh Metro, medical facilities, and solar and wind projects. 

Read more…