If you’ve been seeing mysterious ads popping up on your phone recently for Neom in Saudi Arabia and wondered what on earth you’re looking at it’s not surprising — this futuristic desert development is eye-popping in its ambition.
With a mammoth budget of $500 billion, Neom is a pivotal aspect of Saudi’s Vision 2030 plan.
The smart city will be powered entirely by clean energy, a significant step in Saudi Arabia’s growth away from an oil-based economy.
The Line is to be built in Neom and will be home to nine million people, who will live in interconnected societies run by artificial intelligence designed to coexist with nature, with excavation on this massive project that has now started.
Encountering the traffic, pollution and infrastructure challenges that overpower urban life in established cities, this futuristic expansion will prioritise walkability, clean energy and technology to develop a new way of living.
What is Neom?
First unveiled by HRH Prince Mohammed in 2017, Neom is Saudi Arabia’s flagship business and tourism development on the Red Sea coast. It is a central project in the 2030 Vision outlining the kingdom’s plans to diversify the economy.
The development will be spread across 26,500 square kilometres and will comprise several zones, including industrial and logistics areas. It is planned for completion in 2025.
The plans include a network of airports, including an international one. The first, called Neom Bay Airport in the northern region of Sharma, is already open and operates regular flights for Neom investors and employees.
Chief urban development officer at Neom, Antoni Vives, said one of the largest international airports in the world would be ready before 2030.
This will also create a potential of 380,000 jobs. Construction of this is set to begin in the first quarter of this year.
What is So Unique About Neom?
Neom is designed to respond to some of the most critical global challenges facing urban areas and encourage an alternative way of living.
The city will preserve 95 per cent of the natural environment around the site, emphasizing mankind’s affinity with the natural world.
All energy in Neom will be 100 per cent renewable — from solar, wind and hydrogen-based power generation — ensuring a zero-emission, carbon-positive ecosystem.
Those behind the project say Neom will be a provincial powerhouse in water production and storage, anchored on water desalination. High-tech interoperable, modular systems will attract water-related research companies and start-ups to drive innovation and lead in all sectors of the water industry.
Neom’s water distribution network will be entirely linked via advanced infrastructure. It will ensure minimal water loss, putting Neom at the forefront of water technology.
Saudi’s King Salman’s arrival in Neom to convalesce The Line project is the first time in 150 years that a major urban development is planned around people, not roads. Walkability will define life in the city, with all essential daily services, such as schools, medical clinics, leisure centres and green spaces, within a five-minute walk.
High-speed transit will be among the ways residents will be able to travel longer distances, making all areas of Neom accessible within 20 minutes. An urban environment which prioritises walking, cycling and personal electric mobility devices will be enhanced by access to high-speed public transit services connecting all neighbourhoods.
At the beginning of 2023, HRH Prince Mohammed Bin Salman announced the establishment of Trojena, the global destination for mountain tourism in Neom and Sindalah, Neom’s first island development.
Who is Building Neom?
Development is already under way. Neom chief executive Nazmi Al Nasr plans for “five to six projects for resort development within the city, in parallel with The Line, with some resorts estimated to open after three years”.
The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the progress of the project has been minimal. However, the biggest challenge is to acquire more global and national partnerships.
Saudi Arabia offers $6tn of investment opportunities over next decade.
Agreements have been signed with construction companies Aecom and Bechtel to develop an advanced transport infrastructure, making The Line one of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects in the world.
A contract with Saudi Telecom Company was signed to provide a 5G network infrastructure that will accelerate Neom’s digital ambitions.
Neom also signed a $5bn partnership with Acwa Power and Air Products in the US to develop the world’s largest green hydrogen and green ammonia plant, to be operational in 2026.
Solar Water’s technology will help Neom work towards one of its aims of revolutionising water desalination. It will help to solve the problem of access to fresh water in Saudi Arabia.
The Line in Neom
The idea behind The Line is have a mirror facade, which will allow even its footprint to “blend with nature”.
Speaking at the launch of The Line in July, 2022, Prince Mohammed emphasised the need to address mounting pressure on urban spaces and find solutions for a rapidly expanding global population.
The Line will be the first city in the world to be powered by renewable energy sources like, wind, solar and hydrogen.
Recently, The Line exhibition occurred in Riyadh to showcase its revolutionary designs for sustainability.
He believes by 2050, commute durations will double, and one billion people will have to relocate due to rising carbon dioxide emissions and sea levels.
“Why should we sacrifice nature for the sake of development? Why should seven million people die every year because of pollution? Why should we lose one million people every year to traffic accidents? And why should we accept wasting years of our lives commuting?” he said.
The Line will also be the world’s first zero-gravity vertical city.
“The idea of layering city functions vertically, giving people the possibility of moving seamlessly in three dimensions to access them, is a concept referred to as zero-gravity urbanism,” Prince Mohammed said.
There will be a hyper rail line running through the city to boost travel. This rail line will be powered through a renewable-powered electric system.
By When Will Neom be Completed?
Neom would be partly financed through a flotation expected in 2024.
The city’s first phase is set to cost 1.2 trillion riyals ($319bn), half of which will come from the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund.
The economic zone that is eventually set to house nine million people is expected to have capacity for 450,000 by 2026 and 1.5-2 million by 2030. It will eventually house nine million people by 2045.
As of now, Neom Tech & Digital Company has already stepped into the market and into the future as ‘TONOMUS’.
