Business & Money | Tuesday 29 November, 2016 4:42 pm |

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman will launch on Tuesday a number of infrastructure, development and mining projects in the Ras Al-Khair Industrial City in the Eastern Province. 

The launch of these projects will be yet another step in the Kingdom's march to progress. It will once again prove that Saudi Arabia — under a wise leadership and with the determination of its citizens and the integration of both the public and private sectors — is able to realize major achievements that mimic the great success stories in the oil and gas sector during the reigns of King Abdul Aziz, the founder, and his sons Saud and Faisal.
The Kingdom witnessed the establishment and development of the petrochemical sector and the establishment of the cities of Jubail and Yanbu in the era of kings Khaled, Fahd and Abdullah.
These projects, in which ministries and state institutions joined forces with private sector companies, contributed to the founding of the modern mining sector as an important pillar of Saudi industry, and a new essential tributary to the national economy with its basic and manufacturing industries.
These projects are concentrated around the industries of aluminum phosphate industries, in addition to the infrastructure projects which enabled building a world class and modern mining sector, executed according to state plans. 
A strategic location was selected for the city on the east coast of the Kingdom, 80 km to the north of the city of Jubail, in order to facilitate the flow of its products to global markets.

SR130bn investments in infrastructure
Ras Al-Khair city is an economically and developmentally promising center and a model of success in the establishment of giant industrial cities which host large investment projects with their requirements for integrated services.
The volume of investments in infrastructure projects and mining industrial complexes is currently more than SR130 billion, contributing some SR35 billion to the Kingdom's gross domestic product (GDP).
Infrastructure projects and industrial mining also created 12,000 direct job opportunities, and tens of thousands of indirect opportunities for citizens, whether in factories or in infrastructure projects.
The Ras Al-Khair city projects will be a launch pad to achieve the promising goals of the sector in achieving its objectives within Saudi Vision 2030.
Development and mining infrastructure projects in Ras Al-Khair include the railway project, or what is known as the mining train; Ras Al-Khair water desalination and power plant and Ras Al-Khair port; Maaden phosphate mine in Jalamid in the northern border area; Al Ba’itha bauxite mine in the Qassim area; Maaden phosphate complex in Ras Al-Khair; and Maaden aluminum complex at Ras Al-Khair; in addition to the basic infrastructure projects implemented by the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, management and operation body in Ras Al-Khair.
The launch of these mega projects confirms the state’s determination, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, to achieve sustainable and balanced development in all regions of the Kingdom, achieve economic diversification and establish new pillars upon which the Saudi economy can stand.
These industrial mining projects will contribute to strengthening the position of the Kingdom in world markets, as well as the private sector’s benefits of industrial integration in the sector, and exploiting investment opportunities in manufacturing industries that are supported by the availability of raw materials, infrastructure and logistics, and manufacturing complexes in the city of Ras Al-Khair.

North South Railway Line Project
The historic decision taken by the state to establish the Saudi Railway Company (SAR) to take over supervision of the implementation and operation of the North-South Railway Line Project is an important step in establishing infrastructure for the modern mining sector.
The large distance that separates the Ras Al-Khair mining city on the Arabian Gulf from phosphate and bauxite mines in both the north and center of Kingdom made a railway one of the best solutions to support the mining industry.
The railway is the most economic means of transport, and is the largest in terms of capacity, in addition to reliability for maintaining the highest security and safety standards. It is also an eco-friendly means of transport. 
The SR25-billion project involves the transport of passengers and cargo, as well as the mining train through a network of 2,750 km.
The train can help Maaden Phosphate and Maaden Aluminum deliver phosphate and bauxite ore from the mines in the north and center of the Kingdom to the manufacturing areas in the cities of Ras Al-Khair.