Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Qiddiya has awarded a contract to Saudi Pan Kingdom Company (SAPAC) to build perimeter fencing as construction ramps up at the site.

SAPAC, an established Saudi construction company, will place security fencing around the entire premises of Qiddiya, the Kingdom’s Capital of Entertainment, Sports and the Arts. This first layer of security will enable a slew of construction projects, set to begin this year, to begin bringing in heavy construction machinery and restrict unauthorized access to the site.

“With the signing of this 12-month contract, the first phase of developing Qiddiya’s security protocol has commenced. We are proud to work with an experienced Saudi company as we set out to create the Kingdom’s Capital of Entertainment, Sports and the Arts,” said Salman Al-Hubeis, Executive Director — Infrastructure & Area Development at Qiddiya.

The contract work includes 440,000 sq. meters of site clearing as part of the site preparation process, 20 km of security fencing, and 23 km of cable barriers, as well as 1 million cubic meters of earthworks to be filled.

Saleh Bin Salim Al-Harbi, CEO of SAPAC, said: “For over 25 years, we’ve worked with leading firms in the country. We are thrilled to work with Qiddiya, a project which is set to change the landscape of entertainment in the Kingdom. To facilitate construction at the site, securing the premises is going to be the first step.”

SAPAC has been involved in engineering, procurement and construction of medium to mega size projects in both the public and private sectors in the Kingdom for over two decades.

Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) is driving the development of Qiddiya. As a core tenet of Vision 2030, Qiddiya has a dual economic and social purpose: to advance economic diversification and unlock new professional pathways while enriching lives of youth in the Kingdom.

Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, who is also chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs and of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced the project on April 7, 2017. Ground-breaking took place on April 28, 2018 and the Qiddiya Investment Company was incorporated as a closed joint-stock company wholly owned by PIF on May 10, 2018.