Ras al-Khair, 20 March, SPA -- Ras Al-Khair Industrial City represents the backbone of the mining industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as it managed to attract investments with more than SR130 billion, some still under operation and construction, while others are going through the design and study phase. In a statement to Saudi News Agency (SPA), the CEO of the Royal Commission in Ras Al-Khair Ahmed bin Noureddin Hassan reiterated that the city has a general plan that includes an industrial and economic program to attract basic industries in minerals such as aluminum, phosphate, copper, zinc and iron minerals, in addition to industrial minerals, affirming that the city moves forward in attracting secondary and transformative industries. He added that the program focuses on the supply chains of the shipbuilding and marine industries in oeder to raise the domestic product and export to global markets. The CEO highlighted that the area of Ras al-Khair city stands at about 179 square kilometers, adding that 52 square kilometers have been allocated to industries that are under implementation, operation and currently in the design stages. He disclosed that 80% of the current contracts have been completed to set up the infrastructure in the city to provide services to all industries, asserting that several industries will be operational in the next two years, including the International Complex for Maritime Industries, the Ma’aden Ammonia Fertilizer Plant 3, the soda ash and calcium chloride industry, and the drilling industry. Ras Al-Khair Industrial City is harnessing industries that are under operation, including large factories such as the phosphate factory for the production of ammonia, phosphate fertilizers, and the aluminum factory for the production of aluminum sheets used in various industries, including the packaging and automobile industries, which will contribute to increasing the local content. The CEO indicated that the Royal Commission in Ras Al-Khair has allocated 18 industrial projects, including two iron factories, an integrated metal smelter factory, and several transformative factories in the field of phosphate, aluminum, metal smelting, and forming, which will be ready in the next 10 years and expected to create around 100,000 direct and indirect jobs. --SPA 20:29 LOCAL TIME 17:29 GMT 0037 www.spa.gov.sa/w1709952