RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah will begin a weeklong inspection tour of the Eastern Province today and launch a number of industrial and welfare projects worth SR54 billion in Jubail during the visit.
“King Abdullah will attend a ceremony organized by the Royal Commission, SABIC, Marafiq and private companies for the launch of a number of projects in Jubail Industrial City,” said Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Thunayan, chairman of the Royal Commission.
He said the king’s visit to the province was aimed at following up on the government’s development plans and projects. He underscored the tremendous progress achieved by the twin industrial cities of Jubail and Yanbu over the past years.
This is Abdullah’s third visit to the province after he became king in August 2005. King Abdullah launched the second industrial city in Jubail, which attracted new investment projects worth SR72 billion, bringing the total investment in the two industrial cities in Jubail to nearly SR150 billion.
New projects include a water and electricity plant being established by Marafiq at a cost of SR12 billion. The second industrial city in Jubail is designed to accommodate 20 huge industrial complexes with a total investment of SR232 billion and produce 70 million metric tons of petrochemicals annually.
Eastern Province Gov. Prince Mohammed bin Fahd expressed his happiness over King Abdullah’s visit and said it reflected the king’s desire to have a first-hand knowledge of citizens’ requirements and follow up on the progress of development projects.
“The Eastern Province has received special care from the Saudi leadership through the implementation of a series of giant projects,” the governor said and commended King Abdullah’s desire to achieve comprehensive development in the region.
“Touring different parts of the Kingdom to have a first-hand account of their condition was a good example set by the Kingdom’s founder King Abdul Aziz,” he said, adding that all subsequent kings have followed that example diligently.
Prince Mohammed commended the unprecedented development achieved by Saudi Arabia under the leadership of King Abdullah. “Citizens in the Eastern Province have felt the pace of progress achieved by the region in various sectors during a short span of time,” the prince said.
