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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Khazaen awards RO 2.6 million contract to Atkins

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MUSCAT, JULY 2 - Khazaen Economic City LLC (KEC), the master developer of the first integrated economic city in northern Oman, has appointed Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, as a lead consultant for Khazaen’s master planning, design and supervision work, for RO 2.6 million.


Eng Kalat al Bulooshi, Chairman of KEC said, “We are delighted to appoint Atkins as the lead consultant for Khazaen. This is a demonstration of our approach of entering partnerships with global firms with a proven track record in delivering truly outstanding projects and also implementing true in country value.


Today’s award of the contracts comes after months of in-depth evaluation and discussions with each of the shortlisted firms. Atkins will lead the concept master plan and detailed master plan work for the project, which is expected to take around six months to complete”.


Atkins’ scope of work includes full consultancy services for the integrated urban planning of the city covering 51.5 million square metres, detailed master plan, 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.


Al Bulooshi added that the contract is for five years, and can be extended for two additional years upon mutual agreement. The priority will be on completing the engineering and design work of about 5 million square metres area related to the first phase of the logistics & industrial area, the dry port, the truck terminal project, the central fruit and vegetables market and the central auto market in addition to the head office of Khazaen.


Marco Malpiedi, Atkins’ managing director for Oman, added: “It is a fantastic for us to be retained to assist Khazaen Economic City. This is an exciting time to be part of the realisation of such an important project in Oman’s economic expansion, and we are looking forward to bringing our projects expertise to this development.” Atkins has expertise in delivering master plans and site designs for a range of major industrial facilities across the region, including Duqm City for SEZAD in Oman.


In March 2018, Oman Investment Corporation SAOC (OIC) and the Saudi-based Mohammed Ali al Swailem Group (MASCO) signed the 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 JV developing the new economic city in northern South Al Batinah Governorate.


Khazaen is the first and only integrated economic city within 60 km of Oman’s capital, and the second integrated economic city in the Sultanate of Oman after the Special Economic Zone in Duqm. KEC will offer attractive investment opportunities to develop and set up warehousing, logistics, light and medium industries, large showrooms and markets, hotel, residential and commercial projects, and will provide a significant boost to economic development and job creation in Oman.


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