Jubail is one of Bechtel's proudest collaborations — a city built from the sand up, requiring vast resources and logistical planning on an unprecedented scale. It is the biggest civil engineering project in modern times, and it continues to grow.
Our team of world-leading engineers and project managers were chosen by the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu in the mid-1970s to help plan and deliver the project, which is in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Over the decades, we have worked with our customer to transform Jubail from the deserted suburbs of an ancient fishing and pearling village to a 687+ sq. miles (1,106+ sq. km) major industrial complex with harbor and port facilities, and which accounts for 7% of the country's gross domestic product.
A partnership based on common goals, a one-team approach with the Saudi Royal Commission, and an unwavering focus on delivering to help business and communities prosper has been key to the team's ongoing success.
In 2006, Bechtel was invited to manage a further expansion of the city's industrial and living areas. Jubail II provided residential accommodation for 120,000 residents; education facilities including an 18,000-student 'greenfield' university; as well as roads, bridges, medical centers, power, water, and waste facilities. Today Jubail is a major player in the global energy market, attracting top technical and business minds from dozens of countries.
Beyond master planning
Jubail involved strategic planning and project management on a historic scale. At peak, the workforce reached 20,000 a month, delivering major, complex projects including:
- the Ras Al Khair Industrial City, planned over two years in 2009, covering an ever-expanding area in excess of 124+ sq. miles (200+ sq. km);
- Jubail Industrial City Airport, covering an area of 29+ sq. miles (47+ sq. km), and which is anticipated to open to civilian flights in due course;
- a major residential area for more than 120,000 people; and
- expansion of the King Fahd Industrial Port for both commercial and industrial business, including in-demand metals like aluminum and iron ore, and general cargo for the entire industrial complex as well as for a large surrounding region of Saudi Arabia.
