Baker Hughes, a global energy technology company, has celebrated the commencement of construction of its Oilfield Services (OFS) regional hub located at King Salman Energy Park (SPARK)
The groundbreaking ceremony at the project site was attended by Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes and Ahmad Al Sa’adi, senior vice president, technical services of Aramco.
SPARK is located at the heart of the energy market in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. Baker Hughes’ investment is a significant milestone for SPARK, which is a 50 sq km energy city megaproject that will position Saudi Arabia as a global energy, industrial and technology hub.
SPARK’s ecosystem will capture the full economic value from energy-related goods and services in the Kingdom and throughout the region, providing investors with an integrated environment that will contribute more than US$6bn annually to the Saudi GDP, generate up to one hundred thousand jobs and stimulate socioeconomic advances across all levels of society.
The 300,000 sq m regional hub will support Baker Hughes’ OFS operations and customers across the Middle East. The facility, which is the largest assembly, maintenance, and overhaul hub for Baker Hughes’ Oilfield Services business in the eastern hemisphere, will be home to more than 600 employees, of which 70% are Saudi nationals. The facility plans to include 120 newly created jobs by the time it opens in late 2022.
“These programmes drive localisation through job creation, supply chain development and export enablement, and further emphasise Saudi Arabia’s position as a global energy hub,” said Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes.
Saif S Al-Qahtani, president and CEO of SPARK, added, “This significant step is a testament to SPARK’s unique industrial eco-system, world-class infrastructure and capabilities. Our collaboration with Baker Hughes supports our vision and commitment to serve as the preeminent global industrial hub for the energy sector.”
