The Saudi investment firm run by a Saudi billionaire with a big Citigroup stake is pressing ahead with plans to build the world's tallest building despite the global meltdown. The announcement comes as the Opec powerhouse nation taps cash surpluses from crude oil's record rally last year to offset the effects of the global recession.
A new bond market was also launched on the Saudi exchange on Saturday, opening up the financing options to companies constrained by tight lending conditions elsewhere. Kingdom Holding Co, headed by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, said it selected Dubai-based developer Emaar Properties to oversee development of over 1 kilometer tall (3,281 feet) Kingdom Tower and Kingdom City.
The 100 billion Saudi riyal ($27 billion) twin projects in the western port city of Jeddah are billed as among the largest ever undertaken in Saudi Arabia. While Saudi has seen billions in projects delayed or cancelled, the government has been quick to "step up their own contract awards in order to make up for the slippage in the pipeline of private sector projects," said Howard Handy, chief economist at Saudi's Samba Financial Group.
"Although there has been a slowdown ... we don't expect this to be very deep or very prolonged because most of the projects in the kingdom are well funded, and will be viable over the medium and longer term," Handy said. Emaar, one of Dubai's biggest developers, is already building what is already the world's tallest building in the glitzy United Arab Emirates sheikdom.
That tower, Burj Dubai, has topped out at about 800 meters (2,600 feet) and is due to open later this year. Alwaleed, who is ranked the world's 22nd richest man by Forbes magazine, said in a statement Saturday that the Dubai government-affiliated firm was selected because of its experience in such mega-projects.
Emaar did not respond to a request for comment. The Kingdom Tower _ which would be over twice as tall as New York's Empire State Building _ is touted as the centerpiece of the Kingdom City project, a broader venture that covers 23 million square meter (59.6 square kilometers) of residential, commercial, educational, retail and hotel facilities about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from Jeddah's old city.
Kingdom City _ expected to house 80,000 residents _ was first announced several years ago. It reflects Saudi Arabia's push to expand its economic and social hubs, and diversify its economy to better deal with the needs of an increasingly younger population in need of housing and jobs. The company did not provide a timeline for construction or a breakdown of costs.
Saudi officials, whose country sits atop the world's largest proven reserves of crude oil, have said they will spend about $400 billion over the next five years on major projects. In large part, the government is upping spending _ at the risk of running its first deficit in years _ to sustain growth and offset the impact of project cancellations or delays.
International real estate consultants Jones Lang LaSalle said in a report earlier this month that Riyadh awarded about $137 billion in public projects between October and April, far eclipsing the roughly $62 billion in cancellations or delays in the country.