Sci-fi city: ‘The Line’

The report further mentions five facts people should know about the sci-fi mega city, which include the 170 km belt of "hyper-connected future communities" that will be part of the country’s Neom urban mega-project—the $500 billion epicentre of the Saudi Vision 2030 scheme, which Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hopes will drive the kingdom’s long-term diversification away from oil.

With a reduced infrastructure footprint, The Line will have no roads, cars, or emissions, running on 100% renewable energy with 95% of land preserved for nature. The city is built to focus on health and well-being over transportation and infrastructure.

The third fact talks about the city’s priority, which is "ultra-high-speed transit and autonomous mobility solutions" to ensure no journey takes longer than 20 minutes.

"We need to transform the concept of a conventional city into that of a futuristic one," bin Salman said in a statement.

He also asks, "Why should we sacrifice nature for the sake of development?" "Why should seven million people die every year because of pollution?" asked the report.

The Line is a part of a larger NEOM urban mega-project, which will become a hub of renewable energy generation, derived from wind, solar, and green hydrogen, as well as a development ground for smart technologies that will facilitate the transition to a low-carbon energy system, as stated in the fourth fact report.

Final Fact talks about how, last year, Riyadh confirmed plans to develop "the world’s largest green hydrogen project" at NEOM through a $5 billion venture that is expected to produce 650 metric tonnes of the fuel per day by 2025.

The report concludes that once the NEOM plant is operational by 2026, 100% of the green hydrogen produced will be available for global export in the form of ammonia through an exclusive long-term agreement with Air Products.

By Sumita Pawar