DUBAI: Saudi Arabia in recent years has made major shifts to transform its economy into one focused on green energy. The government itself is leading the charge, setting a goal to generate 50 percent of the Kingdom’s power needs using renewable energy by 2030.
NEOM, a sustainable region under development in the northwestern part of the Kingdom, has set a precedent that all its suppliers must adhere to the highest sustainable processes possible in order to secure contracts.
Companies in Tabuk close to NEOM are following suit and looking for ways to go green. One of these is the Tabuk Concrete Co., which is supplying concrete to contractors operating in the futuristic city of NEOM. It is sourcing new equipment to make sure its construction methods are as green as possible.
Tarek Abdullah Abdin, CEO of the company, told Arab News that he had teamed up with Putzmeister Truck Mounted Concrete Pumps, a European company, to purchase one of the company’s recent products, the iONTRON, in order to comply with guidelines set by NEOM.
The iONTRON will reduce both carbon dioxide emissions and noise pollution, and electricity will be used instead of liquid fuel to power a concrete pump, which results in less direct emissions. Most concrete pumps powered by diesel produce about 26.53 kilograms of carbon dioxide per hour and require 10.2 liters of diesel. Conversely, pumps powered by electricity release zero kilograms of carbon dioxide and require zero liters of diesel.
The first iONTRON concrete pump will be brought to the Middle East by Tabuk Concrete, representing a new generation of sustainable design in the manufacturing of building materials in the region. In 2022, concrete pumps will be delivered to Saudi Arabia and the factories of Tabuk Concrete will be outfitted with greener technology.
NEOM announced The Line earlier this year, an infrastructure megaproject that will develop urban areas to accommodate up to 1 million people. The Line and other regions to be developed in NEOM will provide huge opportunities to the companies in the Tabuk region.
Saudi Commerce Minister Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi recently visited Tabuk to meet with the business community and local suppliers — including the Tabuk Concrete Co. — to understand how his ministry can help them gain from the huge opportunities that NEOM and other projects nearby can provide.
As NEOM is pushing ahead, more companies in Tabuk that were operating through traditional means will instead resort to more advanced techniques to protect the environment, and the business landscape over the next five years will witness sizeable changes.
