Saudi Arabia’s crown prince unveiled plans to build a zero-carbon city at NEOM, the first major construction project for the USD 500 billion flagship business zone aimed at diversifying the economy of the world’s largest oil exporter.
The city, known as Neom city ‘The Line’, would extend over 170 km and be able to house a million people in carbon-positive urban developments powered by 100% clean energy.
Plans for the city include no cars or streets and ‘zero carbon emissions’, according to a televised appearance by Prince Mohammed.
The Line will fulfill the daily requirements within a five-minute walk and the city can be traveled end-to-end in 20 minutes.
“We need to transform the concept of a conventional city into that of a futuristic one,” Prince Mohammed said.
The neom city will be 100% powered by renewable energy and the cost of infrastructure would be 30% cheaper compared to more traditional cities.
Overseen by the Public Investment Fund, Neom city is the flagship project of Saudi Arabia's post-oil diversification plan known as Vision 2030 that seeks to reduce the country's reliance on hydrocarbons. The bulk of construction will take place over the next decade, with a target of hosting one million residents by 2030.
Saudi Arabia’s The Line is part of the government’s slew of giga projects and aims to create 380,000 jobs and add $48bn a year the kingdom's GDP.
