The new prince of Saudi Arabia is still making headlines and that is for a good reason. Earlier in October, he lifted a long standing ban on women drivers in the country. Now, he’s back with unveiling a new project titled: NEOM.
What is NEOM?
Saudi Arabia has long benefited from its rich oil industry and it is in fact the world’s largest oil exporter. However, the oil industry is dwindling and falling so new ways of making revenue have to be established.
That is where the Neom project comes in. NEOM is announced to be a new mega-city that will ditch the old traditional ways of functioning and that will be completely powered by renewable energy. This new city will span 10,230 square miles which is 33 times the land area of New York City.
The project was announced at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh.
Goals & Benefits
NEOM doesn’t just want to be a normal city, it wants to ensure revenue for the country is sustained through the new industries it will focus on. In addition, it will try to shift focus and reliance on oil to industries such as the energy and water, biotechnology, food, advanced manufacturing, and entertainment.
With its first section expected to be completed in 2020, the project could make NEOM one of the largest cities to run without fossil fuels.
Additionally, the new city will reside on the north side of the Red Sea coast where it will connect to Egypt and Jordan through bridges.
Check out this promotional video by Discover NEOM on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzwMQB1Vw0I
The above video highlights how the extreme hot weather of Saudi Arabia will power immense solar panels and wind structures that will fuel the sustainable industry of NEOM.
Thanks for reading! Let us know your thoughts about the NEOM project in the comments below!
For more information, check out the Discover Neom website: http://discoverneom.com
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