Saudi Aramco, the kingdom’s state-owned oil company, has signed a second contract to build homes for its employees, Reuters reported.
The contract is to build 791 homes, part of a wider plan to construct over 8,000 homes plus schools and community facilities, as the company seeks to meet growing demand for accommodation from its workforce.
Aramco’s workforce grew to almost 62,000 in 2014 from just over 57,000 the year before, it was reported, as the company expands activities.
Saudi Arabia has the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves and is the biggest crude exporter.
Many expatriate workers in the kingdom live in gated communities or compounds, which allow them to enjoy more relaxed living conditions than would be permissible in wider Saudi society. Aramco already has many gated communities, with the largest at its Dhahran headquarters, housing a population of 10,000 people.
The newest development is located on a 10 sq. km plot of land in Dhahran, 8 km southwest of Aramco’s headquarters, it was reported.
The cost and timeframe of the project, which will be built by a consortium of Saudi-based Azmeel Contracting and China’s Sinohydro Corporation, was not disclosed.
In September last year, Aramco said Azmeel had been awarded the first contract in the project to build 955 homes.