The construction of Saudi Arabia's NEOM future city continues to advance. On January 8, 2025, the NEOM pile foundation project constructed by China Water Resources and Hydropower Foundation Group Co., Ltd. completed the pouring of a cast-in-place pile with a depth of 106.16 meters, a diameter of 2.5 meters, and a steel reinforcement cage weighing nearly 50 tons. This marks the largest and deepest pile foundation in the Middle East region to date!
According to reports, the construction of the pile foundation project was extremely challenging. The construction site measured only 200 by 800 meters. Influenced by tidal variations and complex geological strata, drilling was highly prone to hole collapse and shrinkage, presenting significant construction difficulties. To ensure the successful completion of this pile, the project department organized technical planning meetings and multi-party localization resource coordination meetings. They focused on pioneering comprehensive technological solutions in areas such as drilling verticality, slurry preparation, fabrication and lowering/connection of oversized diameter steel reinforcement cages, and the hoisting of ultra-heavy reinforcement cages. This led to the development of a complete set of key marine pile foundation construction technologies, including a new slurry mix ratio for high-salinity coastal areas, automated precise connection of ultra-heavy testing elements with oversized diameter reinforcement cages, single-lift hoisting and insertion of ultra-heavy reinforcement cages, and detection and trial monitoring technologies for deep-water, pile foundations with reinforcement cages. These innovations ensured the successful completion of the 100-meter-level, cast-in-place pile, further enhancing the company's digital and intelligent construction capabilities for reinforcement cages.
As the world's largest engineering project today, Saudi Arabia's NEOM attracts top-tier global designers, construction contractors, and suppliers to compete on the same stage. From power supply to infrastructure construction, and from green energy to electromechanical equipment, Chinese technology and expertise are deeply involved, providing solid support for the realization of Saudi Arabia's grand vision.
Currently, Chinese companies participating in the Saudi NEOM project include: China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina), China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), China Harbour Engineering Company Arabia, Huawei, Sungrow Power Supply, Baowu Ma Steel, Sany Heavy Industry, XCMG Machinery, and SUMEC Group Corporation of the China National Machinery Industry Corporation (Sinomach).
The Saudi NEOM new city is a future city within the framework of Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030," with a total investment scale exceeding $1 trillion. The city's scale is grand and avant-garde, and upon completion, it is set to become an iconic and timeless architectural marvel. The linear city is a crucial component of the new city, planned to cover an area of 26,500 square kilometers, with a construction length of approximately 170 kilometers and a height of 500 meters.
According to the plan, the city is expected to be initially completed by 2040 and will be home to 9 million residents by 2045. The completed new future city will become an artificial intelligence-powered metropolis.
It is reported that NEOM is expected to accommodate 5 million people. It will feature multi-layer vertical buildings equipped with high-speed trains running beneath the structures, vertical farming, stadiums, and yacht marinas, all designed for work, living, and leisure. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stated that this project will bring revolutionary changes to future lifestyles. In a "zero-carbon environment without roads or cars," people will use "100% renewable energy."
For world-class projects like Saudi Arabia's NEOM, where both scale and technical requirements are unparalleled, success relies not only on top-tier contractors but also on an efficient, reliable, and localized building materials supply chain. This is precisely where a company like Olinmat can play a pivotal role. As a building materials trading and export company with a well-established branch and localized operational network in Egypt, we are deeply rooted in the Middle East market, specializing in providing comprehensive services from product supply to one-stop solutions for large-scale infrastructure projects.
Based on a profound understanding of the Middle East market, particularly the infrastructure boom under Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030," Olinmat can leverage its strengths to create value for the market:
Becoming a Localized Supply Chain Partner for International Contractors: Utilizing Egypt's strategic location and mature logistics network, we establish regional building materials transfer and distribution centers for companies involved in NEOM projects, such as PowerChina and CSCEC. We efficiently handle customs clearance, warehousing, and last-mile delivery, ensuring timely and stable delivery of project-required materials like high-strength steel, special cement, and new wall materials to construction sites, effectively meeting the challenges of tight schedules and high standards.
Focusing on Green and Smart Building Solutions: NEOM is a future-oriented zero-carbon city. Olinmat actively integrates cutting-edge global green building material resources, such as Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) components, low-carbon and eco-friendly building materials, and high-efficiency energy-saving systems. We combine these innovative products with localized technical guidance to help projects achieve their sustainable development goals.
Providing Professional Technical Interface and Product Customization Services: Addressing special requirements arising in projects, such as ultra-deep pile foundations, vertical cities, and modular construction, we not only supply high-quality building materials meeting international standards but also collaborate with leading domestic manufacturers (e.g., partner steel mills, cement plants, prefabricated component factories) to provide in-depth services like product specification customization and technical parameter adaptation, solving unique engineering challenges.
