Monday 04 / December / 2023
Muscat: Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, announced on Tuesday that it has signed a contract to deliver master planning, design and supervision work with Khazaen Economic City (KEC), the master developer of the first integrated economic city in northern Oman.
WS Atkins, which was acquired by SNC-Lavalin on July 3, 2017, will deliver full consultancy services for the integrated urban planning of the 51.5 million sq.m city. This includes a detailed master plan, environmental assessment, sustainability assessment, engineering designs for infrastructure and utilities, and preparation and evaluation of construction tenders for various infrastructure works in the city.
The contract, valued at OMR2.6 million, also includes supervision over the implementation of the first phase of the construction of infrastructure in Khazaen.
“We are delighted to appoint Atkins as the lead consultant for Khazaen,” said Engr. Kalat G. Al Bulooshi, Chairman of KEC. “This is a demonstration of our approach of entering partnerships with global firms with a proven track record in delivering truly outstanding projects."
“This is an exciting time to be part of such an important project in Oman’s economic expansion, and we are looking forward to bringing our project expertise to this development,” said Marco Malpiedi, Atkins’ managing director for Oman.
Atkins delivers master plans and site designs for a range of major city-based and industrial/logistics facilities across the region, including the detailed Duqm City master plan for the Special Economic Zone Authority for Duqm (Sezad). Atkins was also appointed by the Government of Oman as lead consultant for the Oman National Spatial Strategy (ONSS), which is involved in key projects such as KEC and Duqm City, in a bid to strengthen the integrated approach for the master plan of the Sultanate.
In March 2018, the Oman Investment Corporation (OIC) and the Saudi-based Mohammed Ali Al Swailem Group (MASCO) signed a shareholders' agreement to set up KEC as a joint venture for the master development of Khazaen. OIC owns the majority stake in the Omani-Saudi joint venture, which was established to develop the new economic city in the northern part of South Al Batinah governorate.
Khazaen is the first and only integrated economic city within 60km of Oman’s capital, and the second in the Sultanate after the Special Economic Zone in Duqm (SEZD).
KEC will offer attractive investment opportunities for those who want to develop and set up warehousing and logistics projects, as well as light and medium industries, large showrooms and markets, and hotel, residential, and commercial projects. The establishment of the economic city is expected to give a significant boost to economic development and job creation in Oman.
