Majid F. Alghaslan, manager of technical services at Aramco Services Co., opened the annual global forum at Rice University with a presentation at the welcome banquet on Sept. 13, 2010. Alghaslan told attendees that the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) boom between 2005 and mid-2008 provided the means for economic growth for countries in the Gulf Coordination Council (GCC). According to Alghaslan, Saudi Arabia is aiming to continue its growth through investment in energy output and has positioned itself to participate in several mega-projects in the region.
Building economic cities from scratch is a project that has proven successful in Saudi Arabia. “The economic cities are an infrastructure priority and are expected to attract US $100 billion in investment,” Alghaslan said.

To date, the nation has built:
• King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh in western Saudi Arabia;
• Prince Abdulaziz Bin Mousaed Economic City in Hail in the north;
• Knowledge Economic City in Medina in the midwestern part of the country;
• Jazan City in Jazan to the south;
• ALEC Energy City in Alhassa in the northeast; and
• Tabouk City in Tabouk in the northwest.

By 2020, approximately 4.5 million residents are expected to live in the economic cities, and the combined GDP for the cities will reach $150 billion, according to Alghaslan.

KAUST
Saudi Aramco has spearheaded the development of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), which is an international, graduate-level research university dedicated to inspiring a new age of scientific achievement in Saudia Arabia. According to Alghaslan, KAUST, now in its second academic year, will have regional and global benefits.

Thuwal was chosen as the location for the university because it is near three major cities: Jeddah, Rabigh, and Makkah. “Because 60% of the population is under the age of 30, they had to migrate to one of the three cities to have a lasting career,” Alghaslan said. The vast desert area also will provide room for the university and the city to grow. KAUST covers 14 sq miles (36 sq km) and required more than 600 architects and engineers to design and construct the university. There are 3,134 residential units in Thuwal in addition to professional offices from 22 cities worldwide.

Moving forward, Saudi Aramco is planning an ambitious five-year capital program including focusing on gas, refining, petrochemical, and infrastructure projects; using diverse EPC resources; investing in growing the economic cities; and leveraging efforts to localize EPC and front-end engineering and design work.