Baker Hughes begins construction of OFS regional hub at SPARK in KSA
300,000sqm regional hub aims to be operational by late 2022
Baker Hughes, the global energy technology company, has announced the commencement of construction for its Oilfield Services (OFS) regional hub located at the King Salman Energy Park (SPARK).
In a statement, the company said that its investment is a significant milestone for SPARK, which is a 50sqkm energy city megaproject located at the heart of the energy market in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. The megaproject aims to 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 over $6 billion annually to the Saudi GDP, generate up to one hundred thousand jobs and stimulate socioeconomic advances across all levels of society,’ the statement said.
It added that the ground-breaking ceremony for the hub was attended by Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes and Ahmad Al Sa’adi, senior vice president, technical services of Aramco.
“Baker Hughes is committed to supporting Saudi Vision 2030 and Aramco’s iktva program. These programs drive localization through job creation, supply chain development and export enablement, and further emphasize Saudi Arabia’s position as a global energy hub,” said Lorenzo Simonelli, Chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes. “Today’s milestone reflects our continued efforts to transform our core operations to ensure we deliver to Saudi Aramco and regional customers with speed, efficiency and operational excellence.”
The 300,000 sqm 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.
“We are proud to mark the commencement of construction for Baker Hughes’ hub at SPARK, where they join a wide range of international companies operating their regional hubs from our strategic location,” noted Saif S. Al-Qahtani, President and CEO of SPARK.
“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.”
