![](images/Logos/Ammonia%20Energy%20Association_SM.jpg)
Neom, Moving Ammonia to Europe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neom (styled NEOM; Arabic: نيوم, romanized: niyūm, Hejazi
pronunciation: [nɪˈjo̞ːm])
is a planned smart
city in Tabuk
Province in northwestern Saudi
Arabia. The site is north of the Red
Sea, east of Egypt across
the Gulf
of Aqaba, and south of Jordan.
The total area of Neom is 26,500 km2 (10,200 sq mi)
or half the size of New
York City. The city's plans include multiple regions, including a
floating industrial complex, global trade hub, tourist resorts, and a linear
city—all powered exclusively by renewable energy sources.[2]
Developers intend for the majority of the city to be
complete by 2039.[3] Experts
have expressed skepticism about the ambitions of the megaproject.[4] Saudi
Arabia originally aimed to complete major parts of the project by
2020, with an expansion completed in 2025, but then fell behind
schedule.[5][6] By
July 2022, only two buildings had been constructed, and most of the
project area remained bare desert.[6]
The project's estimated cost is over $500 billion.[7] On
January 29, 2019, Saudi Arabia announced that it had set up a closed
joint-stock company named Neom.[8] The
company is wholly owned by the Public
Investment Fund, and is solely dedicated to developing the
economic zone of Neom.[9]
Etymology[edit]
The name "Neom" is a portmanteau.
The first three letters form the Ancient Greek prefix νέο Neo- meaning
"new". The fourth letter, M, is representative of both the first
letter of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman's name and the first letter of the Arabic word for
"future" (Arabic: مستقبل, romanized: Mustaqbal, Hejazi
pronunciation: [mʊsˈtaɡbal]).[10][11]
History[edit]
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman announced the plans for the city at the Future
Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia, on October 24, 2017.[12] He
said it would operate independently from the “existing governmental
framework” with its own tax and labour laws and an "autonomous
judicial system."[13] Egypt
announced in 2018 that it would contribute some land to the Neom
project.[14]
Klaus Kleinfeld was announced
as the inaugural director for the Neom project upon its launch by
Muhammed bin Salman.[15] In
2018, Kleinfeld signed Gladstone Place Partners LLC for
"Communications Services" for the Neom project, for a fee of $199,500
plus expenses of $45,000.[16][17] On
July 3, 2018 Kleinfeld was announced as the new advisor to Muhammed
bin Salman from 1 August 2018 onwards. Nadhmi
Al-Nasr succeeded him as the new Director of Neom from 1 August
2018.[15]
The initiative to create the city of Neom emerged from Saudi
Vision 2030, a plan to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil, diversify its
economy, and develop public
service sectors.[18] Plans
call for robots to perform functions such as security, logistics,
home delivery, and caregiving[19] and
for the city to be powered solely with wind and solar power.[13]
The first phase of the project is scheduled for
completion by 2025.[20]
Planned regions[edit]
The Line[edit]
In January 2021, the project unveiled plans for The
Line, a linear
city 170 kilometres (110 mi) long and 200 metres (660 ft) wide
within the Neom area. The design for The Line was further modified in
July 2022, scrapping the original idea for multiple buildings on a
linear plan, instead combining the buildings into one continuous
structure with an entirely glass mirror exterior.[21] The car-free
city is planned to be large enough to house 9 million residents
within walkable
communities, with all basic services within a 5-minute walking
distance.[2][22]
Neom Bay[edit]
The development work of the project's first phase, Neom
Bay, was planned to start in the first quarter of 2019 and be
completed by 2020.[23][needs
update] The developments
were to include constructing the airport at
Sharma which would operate regular commercial flights between Riyadh and
Neom.[24] The
plan of Neom Bay's developments also involves building the first
residential area in Neom as part of phase 1.[25]
Neom Bay Airport[edit]
In June 2019, it was announced that the Neom
Bay Airport would start to receive commercial flights after the
first phase of the airport was completed with a runway length of
3,757 m (12,326 ft).[26][27][28][needs
update] The airport that is
planned to be located at Neom Bay has been registered by the
International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the code NUM.[27]
Oxagon (originally named Neom Industrial City) is a
floating industrial complex shaped like an octagon. It is located
around 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of the town of Duba,
and covers roughly 200–250 square kilometres (77–97 sq mi) of land, of
which approximately 40 square kilometres (15 sq mi) forms the city.[29] The
project will focus on modern manufacturing, industrial research, and
development centered on expanding the Duba port.[30] Mohammed
bin Salman expects Oxagon to become "a new focal point for global
trade flows" and service shipping
routes through the Red Sea.[31] The
plans for the complex include a desalination
plant, a hydrogen
plant, and an oceanographic research
center.[32] It
will also be home to the cognitive multinational company Tonomus (originally
NEOM Tech & Digital Company), which is the first subsidiary
company to evolve from NEOM.[33]
On December 16, 2022, Saudi Arabia's Ministry
of Industry and Mineral Resources, the Saudi
Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones, and Neom
signed a Memorandum
of Understanding to facilitate collaboration and legislation in
support of Neom's Future Factories Program.[34]
As of January 2023, Neom has not provided any information regarding
how the complex will remain afloat.
Trojena[edit]
On 3 March 2022, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman launched the Trojena project, which will be the first
major outdoor skiing destination in the Arabian
Peninsula. It will be located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) from
the Gulf
of Aqaba coast, in the Sarwat
Mountains, with elevations ranging from 1,500–2,600 metres
(4,900–8,500 ft). Although it is in the desert, the site's climate is
considerably cooler than the rest of Neom's territory.[35][36][37][38][39][40] Ennismore announced
as inaugural partner with its brands 25hours Hotels and Morgans
Originals.[41][42]
Sindalah[edit]
In December 2022, Neom announced plans for Sindalah, a
1,100,000 cubic yards luxury resort complex off the city coast.[43] It
is planned to have an 86 berth marina,
three luxury hotels, and could accommodate up to 2,400 visitors daily.[44][43]
Agriculture[edit]
Neom plans for 6,500 hectares (16,000 acres) of the
surrounding land to become agricultural fields, and to rely heavily
on genetically
engineered crops.[45][46]
Utilities[edit]
Enowa, renewable energy,
green hydrogen, zero waste desalination.[47][48]
International
relations[edit]
In March 2020, Neom signed a partnership deal as a
principal partner with Mercedes-EQ
Formula E Team.[49] Two
years later, Neom became the title sponsor for McLaren
Racing's electric motorsport division as NEOM McLaren Electric
Racing from the 2022–23 season with McLaren's Formula
E and Extreme
E divisions renamed as NEOM McLaren Formula E Team and NEOM
McLaren Extreme E Team respectively.[50]
In July 2020, the USA's Air
Products & Chemicals Inc announced that it would build the world's
largest green
hydrogen plant in Saudi Arabia. Air Products will jointly own the
US$5 billion project, along with Saudi Arabia's ACWA
Power and Neom.[51]
In March 2021, Neom signed a four-year global
sponsorship agreement with the Asian
Football Confederation.[52]
In 2022, Neom hosted Extreme E's 2022
Desert X-Prix and held the naming rights to the series' Island
X-Prix in Sardinia.[53][54]
In May 2022, Indian conglomerate Larsen
& Toubro was awarded the contract for construction of a 2,930 MW
solar power generation plant, a 1,370 MW wind power farm, a 400 MW
battery energy storage system, along with a power transmission network
of around 190 km.[55]
In October 2022, Trojena was announced as the future
host of the 2029
Asian Winter Games.[56]
Controversies[edit]
Evictions and
executions[edit]
It is estimated that 20,000 people will be forced to
relocate to accommodate the planned city.[57] The Howeitat tribe,
who are native to the area, say that they are not opposed to the city
itself, but rather the forced expulsion and subsequent violence.[58]
On 13 April 2020, activist Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti
posted videos online announcing that Saudi security forces were trying
to evict him and other members of the Howeitat tribe from their
historical homeland to make way for the development of Neom.[11][58] In
the videos, Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti said he would defy the eviction
orders, though he expected Saudi authorities would plant weapons in
his house to incriminate him.[59] He
was later shot and killed by Saudi security forces, who claimed he had
opened fire on them.[59] London-based
human rights activist and fellow Howeitat tribe member, Alya Alhwaiti
disputed this version of events, stating he did not own firearms.[58] His
funeral was held near the village of al-Khoraibah and was well
attended, despite the presence of Saudi security forces.[58] Eight
cousins of Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti have been arrested for protesting
against the eviction order, however Alya Alhwaiti said that she and
other human rights activists hoped to challenge the arrests.[58]
In June 2020, Mohammed bin Salman signed a $1.7 million
contract with US public relations and lobbying firm Ruder
Finn to counter the criticism and controversies around the Neom
city project.[60]
In November 2020, British lawyers representing the
Howeitat tribe urged Dominic
Raab to boycott the G20
Summit in Saudi Arabia, arguing that Britain has a moral
imperative to take a stand in defense of the tribe and confront Saudi
Arabia over its human rights issues.[61]
In October 2022, the Specialized
Criminal Court of Saudi Arabia sentenced three members of the
Howeitat tribe to death for resisting displacement.[62] The
three men were arrested in 2020 for opposing the eviction of their
tribe for the project. One of the condemned men, Shadli al-Howeiti,
was the brother of Abdul Rahim al-Howeiti.[63]
2029 Asian
Winter Games[edit]
In October 2022, Neom was announced as the host of the 2029
Asian Winter Games, a decision which received criticism concerning
its adverse environmental impact.[56] Amidst
increasing global
warming concerns, the project raised multiple issues ranging from
the expected high temperatures in the desert land, the energy impact,
and detour of local water resources to the construction of artificial
ski slopes from scratch. Raphael Le Magoariec, a political scientist
and specialist in the geopolitics of sports in the Gulf nations said
that Riyadh “mainly wants to promote its city of the future”.[56] The
secretary general of the International
Ski and Snowboard Federation, Michel
Vion, expressed surprise at the decision of the Olympic
Council of Asia (OCA) and Olympic downhill silver medalist, Johan
Clarey said, “it is awful for our sport."[56]
Abusive work
culture[edit]
In 2022, former employees reported CEO of the NEOM
project, Nadhmi
Al-Nasr, for promoting a management culture that "belittled expatriates,
made unrealistic demands, and neglected discrimination in the
workplace."[11][64] The
resignation letter of a former chief executive, Andrew
Wirth, accused Nasr’s leadership of being "consistently inclusive
of disparagement and inappropriately dismissive and demeaning
outbursts".[64] Nasr,
appointed by Prince Mohammed with the responsibility to lead NEOM, was
accused in his tenure of berating and scaring his employees, as
confirmed by present and former staff members.[65] Two
gigaprojects under the Saudi Vision 2030 were merged in 2022, while
the remaining three projects lost their expatriate chief executives
and turned over the senior management.[64]
The Saudi government refused to comment, while Neom
declined to make Nasr available for answers or interview requests.
However, Neom issued a written statement in defense of Nasr and the
management culture at the megaproject, asserting that Neom represented
"a scale and ambition the world has never seen before" and that it
continued to retain and attract more talent because "employees are
passionate about what they do and deeply committed to living up to,
and delivering on, the Neom vision."[66] Anthony
Harris, a former director of innovation at Neom's education team,
accused the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman of fostering a faulty
workplace culture since "Nadhmi takes his cue from his boss, and
everyone else at Neom takes their cue from Nadhmi."[64] At
one company meeting, Nasr said on record, "I drive everybody like a
slave, when they drop down dead, I celebrate. That’s how I do my
projects."[64] He
also threatened to replace employees stuck in other countries during
the Covid-19
pandemic lockdown in 2020, which included the former director of
branding and marketing.[64]
In late 2018, Neom's progress suffered after the assassination
of Jamal Khashoggi.[67] Advisers
to Neom, including Daniel
L. Doctoroff[68] and
architect Norman
Foster, were reported to have distanced themselves from the
project and the "toxic" Saudi crown prince.[69]
Surveillance[edit]
The Line, a smart city housed
within Neom that has been aimed to be designed with the help of
artificial intelligence, announced plans to use data as a currency to
manage and provide facilities such as, power, waste, water,
healthcare, transport and security.[70] It
was said that data would also be collected from the smartphones of the
residents, their homes, facial recognition cameras and multiple other
sensors. According to Joseph Bradley, the chief executive of Neom Tech
& Digital Co., the data sweep would help developers feed the collected
information to the city for further predicting and customizing every
user's needs.[70]
However, Saudi Arabia's poor human
rights record[71] and
use of espionage[72] and surveillance technology
for spying on its citizens,[73] invading
their privacy and security, emerged as a roadblock in the situation,
according to digital rights experts. A researcher of the social
impacts of technology, Vincent Mosco stated, “the surveillance
concerns are justified” while further adding that “it is, in effect, a
surveillance city”.[70]
The Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information
Technology did not respond to digital rights experts and researchers'
requests for comments.[70]
Other criticisms[edit]
In July 2020, a sponsorship with the League
of Legends European Championship gathered significant backlash
from the professional League of Legends community, including gamers
and the league's staff. The backlash was centered around human
rights abuses from the Saudi government, particularly its record
on LGBT
rights.[74] As
a result of the backlash, the sponsorship was cancelled within several
hours of the announcement.[75]
Mohammed bin Salman's vision for the city incorporates
some technologies that do not currently exist, like flying
cars, robot maids, dinosaur robots, and a giant artificial moon.[76]
Some of the illustrations for the Neom project were
taken from the Gardens
by the Bay in Singapore,
leaving commentators to note that "using an actual shot of Singapore
to depict an upcoming construction project in Saudi Arabia is an odd
choice".[77][78]
Green Play Ammonia™, Yielder® NFuel Energy.
Spokane, Washington. 99212
www.exactrix.com
509 995 1879 cell, Pacific.
exactrix@exactrix.com
|