By Ashley Karen
A Bauer Group subsidiary was commissioned with two additional construction phases for foundation work on a linear city that forms part of the Neom megacity development in Saudi Arabia.
The US$500bn Neom project in the Tabuk province is designated to become a hi-tech, sustainable city-state. The Saudi Public Investment Fund-owned Neom Company has funded the development program.
The first element of Neom is a 170km long belt of communities called “the Line”. It will begin in the west at the Gulf of Aqaba, continuing via the Sharma Valley and ending at the Neom International Airport.
The Line is subdivided into approximately 135 modules, each containing eight constructions established on large diameter bored piles nearly 70m deep.
A subsidiary of Bauer Spezialtiefbau, Saudi Bauer Foundation Contractors, was assigned to work on the first part of the foundation engineering project on the Line in August 2022.
Currently, Bauer has been commissioned with two additional construction phases for the foundation work on the Line. Large bored piles, with a diameter of up to 2.5m and a depth of about 70m, will also be produced under this program.
Bauer has claimed that the building advancement is right on schedule, which indicates that the first order can be completed on time. All orders are part of a three-year framework agreement, within which other projects for the Bauer Group are envisioned.
Michael Stomberg, Bauer CEO, stated: “The megacity Neom is currently on everyone’s lips and one of the most impressive construction projects in the world.”
He continued: “Shortly before the completion of the successful completion of the first order, we are pleased that the client has placed their trust in us to be able to carry out further project sections.”
Several other essential contracts have been awarded on the project so far.
In 2020, Aecom was nominated to deliver project management consultancy and infrastructure design services across the project.
In June 2022, two JVs won the drill and blast and tunnelling contracts to support constructing Neom’s transport infrastructure.
Later in June, Keller declared that it had signed an umbrella framework agreement for work on the project. Its first works order on one of the modules has a calculated value of £50M.
