Muscat: Khazaen Economic City (KEC), the master developer of the new 52 million sqm integrated economic city in Barka, has announced the detailed master plan (DMP) of the new economic city.
Khalid bin Awadh Al Balushi CEO of KEC hailed the support Khazaen is receiving from the ASYAD Group, and the rapid approval of the detailed master plan, which marks the beginning of a new strategic stage. “With the approved plan of the city, KEC can continue to attract local and foreign investments more aggressively to the various facilities and units of the city,” al-Balushi said.
Located to the north of the capital, Muscat, Khazaen is the largest public-private partnership (PPP) project in the Sultanate of Oman, and is already attracting investors through its combination of unhindered, deep-water access to international maritime routes; preferential market entry under Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with the GCC, Singapore, and the United States; as well as the city’s proximity to Middle East, Indian, Asian and African Markets.
Al Balushi also explained how, following yesterday’s announcement, local and international road-shows will be held to introduce the components of the master plan and it’s stages of implementation to new and prospective tenants - further supporting the economic growth of the Sultanate.
Noting the government of Oman’s commitment to ensuring that the Sultanate is the best possible place for investors, the KEC CEO added that the recently issued Royal Decrees regarding Foreign Capital
Investment, Privatisation and PPP laws pave the way for Khazaen to take advantage of the benefits provided by these laws, and the attractive to local and international investments to the city.”
The city’s DMP was developed by Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, the lead consultant for Khazaen’s master planning, design and supervision work.
Marco Malpiedi, Atkins’ Managing Director for Oman, said: “With over 50 years’ presence in the Middle East, Atkins has played a key role in supporting some of the Sultanate’s large-scale development projects. We are proud to be part of this world-class economic city that is set to create all facets of a modern and future proofed destination designed for people to live, work, and play. Working together with a forward-thinking client and stakeholders, we are providing our master planning and engineering expertise to deliver this project to the highest quality standards.”
Atkins is also responsible for the environmental assessment, sustainability assessment, engineering designs for infrastructures and utilities, preparation and evaluation of construction tenders for various infrastructure work of the city. The scope of work also includes supervising the implementation of the first phase of the infrastructure of Khazaen.
Eng. Salim bin Sulaiman Al Thuhli, General Manager of Projects and Engineering at KEC said that this step is the green light to tendering the different components of the city.
“The approval of the DMP is a significant milestone in the life of Khazaen. This allows us to aggressively embark on the execution phase and breaking the ground and soon we will announce the signing and award of the first infrastructure contract,” he added.
The first package of the infrastructure will include major scope of work, which includes, but not limited to, 10 km of asphalt roads, 15 km of storm water channels, 22 km of potable water network including the main transmission line and storage tanks, and street lights.
The first phase of the city will include one-of-a-kind facilities, such as the first dry port in Oman, free zone, logistics and industrial complexes, social infrastructure, residential, commercial and entertainment components.
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