King Salman Energy Park (SPARK)

King Salman Energy Park (SPARK) is an industrial city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was established by Saudi Aramco near the city of Buqayq in the Eastern Province, over an area of fifty km. It is subject to three development phases to be completed by 2035.

The park operates in the industry of supply chains related to manufacturing and processes supporting the energy sector, offering a world-class infrastructure for international investors in the exploration field, producing and refining crude oil, petrochemical industries, the energy sector, and water production and processing. The Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) issued the park's operating license in 2021, upon the completion of the first phase.

SPARK aims to contribute to the diversification of the sources of income for the Kingdom, enhance its balance of trade, improve the security and supply chain for major energy companies in the Kingdom, and enable new sectors to contribute to the energy sector transformation and digitization. The project supports the dry port and logistic zone project, one of the park's sub-projects.

The King Salman Energy City consists of five main zones: an industrial zone divided into five industrial compounds specialized in general manufacturing, electricals, equipment, fluids, chemicals, metal forming, and industrial services; a logistic zone that consists of a dry port that will annually serve eight million metric t of goods when it is fully constructed, in addition to a customs zone linked to the Gulf railway. It also contains a deposit and re-export zone, a logistics complex and service facilities; a business zone that includes the city administrative center and Saudi Aramco's main headquarters for drilling and well maintenance; a commercial real estate zone that consists of office spaces, restaurants, and shops; a training zone that includes ten specialized training centers in the energy sector; and a residential and commercial zone that includes residential complexes and hotel units that are available for investment.

The city has been able to attract local and international investment projects in the industrial, residential, and commercial fields. In 2019, an agreement was concluded with Dubai's Oilfields Supply Center Ltd., turning the center into an investor and key tenant in SPARK, where a dedicated complex for oil and gas companies will be developed, support services will be offered, and small and medium projects will be established.

The American company Schlumberger opened its factory in the city, during the first phase of the project. In 2020, the city received the LEED Silver Level Certificate in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, becoming the first industrial city in the world to obtain it.

By 2035, the city will be capable of offering one hundred thousand direct and indirect jobs and contributing with SAR22.5 billion to the GDP.