Ahmed Zaid Al Hussain

The Royal Commission for Jubail is busy turning Jubail into a thriving, but also livable, industrial city for the 21st century.

The Royal Commission for Jubail is playing a pivotal role in the economic development of the region. Could you highlight some of the key areas the Commission is currently focused on?

We have been chosen by the government to develop the new assets of Jubail city that were previously called the “big white elephant” by critics because of the location and how challenging the project was. It started from the idea of leveraging a waste material, which is the associated gas for the production of petrochemicals. That dream came true, or rather, that white elephant became a huge green mammoth; green both economically and environmentally. The intention was to get downstream petrochemical industries to start kicking into the Kingdom’s economy and producing more value for the economy, and also to get closer to end products from oil production that we could leverage. The beauty of this project is that it was well established and realized in a way whereby we have an industrial market. We like to call it a “complete value chain.” That is where the production of raw materials, processed raw material, related parts, and related finished goods is achieved within a 100km radius. To be complete we aim to include recycled material and top up and return to the ground as needed. We call this a “Q-shaped economy.” It will have a low need for energy for logistics and high demand for skilled, well-paid, and sustainable Saudi jobs.

How is the commission working to promote the Made in Saudi brand and why should investors consider Jubail as a platform for their business?

As far as the concept of Made in Saudi is concerned, our industrial model encourages and supports taking whatever we have from upstream, downstream, and midstream, all the way to the value end. We extract all the products that come from our raw materials to present them as viable investment opportunities. Another pioneering contribution, and what makes Jubail unique compared to other cities, and hopefully that is also an appealing factor to encourage investors to be part of Jubail, is our integration and sustainability committee. During regular meetings that we organize, we bring potential investors in to demonstrate what they have and how it could be relevant to Jubail. We also bring in existing investors in Jubail who have just begun to present themselves and help them network with companies on the committee. We also invite government entities that provide incentives to comment, explain, and demonstrate what we can offer for the industry, what’s new, and what could be relevant or specific to Jubail. That is part of the rules and mandate of the committee. Another key and shared responsibility is the environment. We want to collectively reduce the city’s carbon footprint through innovative ideas, practices, and technologies discussed on the committee.

The development of industrial cities requires a balance between economic growth and sustainability. How does the Royal Commission for Jubail approach this challenge?

We do not want to be perceived as merely an industrial city. Jubail is a livable city that offers a high quality of life in all aspects. We have a master plan that not only focuses on the industrial side, but also caters to the commercial and residential dimensions. For example, we have a well-established education system that we consider to be among the best in the Kingdom as confirmed in the results we have achieved. For example, we have a high school that over the past three years has scored the highest performance Kingdom wide. That is one key factor of quality of life because, if you have families here working, you want to make sure that their kids are in good schools and able to learn. We try to go beyond that with enrichment programs, and our schools have STEM labs. Maybe our focus on science and technology, mathematics, and engineering differentiates us from many government schools. Ultimately, we are an industrial city and it definitely makes good sense to leverage the resources of resident companies.