Italian contractor WeBuild has confirmed that it has been awarded a $4.7bn contract by Neom to build the dams at the Trojena mountain resort in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

The deal, which was exclusively reported by MEED on 15 January, includes the construction of three dams that will form a freshwater lake for the Trojena ski resort.

The main dam will have a height of 145 metres and will be 475 metres long at its crest. It will be built using 2.7 million cubic metres of roller compact concrete (RCC).

Some 650,000 cubic metres of RCC will be used to build a dam within the planned lake to create an island below the water level. This kidney-shaped dam will have a height of 38 metres and will be 700 metres long. It will be connected to the nearby Lake Village by an underwater tunnel. The landscaping and other attractions within the dam are known as the Enchanted Forest.

The third dam will have a height of 65 metres and will be 490 metres long at its crest. It will be constructed using 4.15 million cubic metres of rockfill. The works also include the lakebed line and the foundations for the Bow Building, a concrete structure at the end of the lake that will overhang the valley below and incorporate a hotel.

Trojena Dams

In November, MEED exclusively reported that Neom had completed the technical evaluation of the proposals for the Trojena dams. The client and the selected contractors then entered into commercial negotiations for the project.

Earlier last year, Neom engaged three contractors on an early contractor involvement (ECI) basis. They include a consortium of Saudi Arabia-based Al-Ayuni with Turkiye-headquartered Limak, Beijing-based PowerChina and Italy’s WeBuild.

The ECI process requires selected contractors to submit methodologies for the project and a design proposal.

Launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trojena is set to be a year-round tourist destination. It will include a ski village, family and wellness resorts, retail food and beverage facilities, and sports amenities such as watersports and mountain biking. An interactive nature reserve is also planned. The project is due to be completed by 2026.

The project engineer is Singapore’s Surbana Jurong. The executive programme manager is the US’ Aecom. US-based Bechtel was awarded the contract to provide project management consultancy services for the Trojena development at the end of 2022.