The population at the Jubail Industrial City could double by 2030, the MEED Saudi Arabian Energy EPC Projects 2012 conference was told on 23 April.

“We expect to accommodate another 150,000 people and the population to be about 300,000 people by that date,” General Manager for Technical Affairs at the Royal Commission for Jubail Ahmed Al-Balawi said.

Al-Balawi said that the Jubail industrial city masterplan calls for growth in in the residential zone, the completion of the Jubail Two industrial zone and the expansion of Jubail’s two ports.

Al-Balawi said that developments in Jubail will also include the construction of the railway link from Ras al-Khair to Dammam, which will pass through Jubail, and a railway nework within the city that will comprise about 100 kilometres of track.

Al-Balawi said that the Royal Comission was interested in promoting the development of the existing Jubail airport, which is currently used by the Saudi Arabian military. He said that it was hoped that private aviation services could be established.

Al-Balawi said that plans call for the creation of the 275-hectare Jubail City Centre residential, leisure and commercial zone. “We have finished the designs and we have started to develop the infrastructure for the City Centre,” Al-Balawi said. He said that plans for the City Centre call for a 32,400 residential population and a working population of about 32,000.

He said that the Royal Commission plans to award contracts for infrastructure projects in Jubail worth SR12bn ($3.2bn).