Tall & Urban News

Phase 1 Construction Plans of Kuwait’s Silk City Revealed

22 February 2019 | Kuwait City, Kuwait

An international airport, a rail network, and a trade zone for Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port could be built under Phase 1 of Kuwait’s US$86 billion (KWD26.1 billion) Silk City project.

The first stage of construction, which has yet to begin, will also see a logistics area built within Silk City, as well as an industrial hub to support small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Plans are being made to develop a procurement strategy for attracting investments to, implementing, and operating Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port under a public-private partnership model.

Details of the large-scale city development came after a 35-member Chinese delegation concluded a two-day visit to Kuwait.

China and Kuwait have vowed to deepen ties on Kuwaiti megaprojects, which are set to attract up to US$450 billion (KWD136 billion) in foreign investments. In return, Kuwait is backing China’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative.

The high-level meeting finished on 18 February 2019, with the Chinese delegation eager to advance the implementation and construction of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port. Officials from Alibaba and Huawei joined the delegation, which included members from the China Communications Construction Company and China Development Bank.

Faisal Al-Medlej, who is leading the development of Silk City and Kuwait’s five-island Boubyan Island project, held talks with the visiting delegation, which was led by Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, Ning Jizhe.

For more on this story, visit Construction Week Online.