Wa'ad Al-Shamal (North Promise) City

Wa'ad Al-Shamal, which translates to "Promise of the North," is one of the most ambitious and transformative projects undertaken as part of Vision 2030. It is not merely an industrial park but an entirely new, integrated city being built from the ground up in the Kingdom's remote Northern Borders Province, approximately 18 km from Turaif Domestic Airport. Approved by the Council of Ministers in 2012 with an estimated cost of SAR 85 billion, the city is a monumental act of state-led development designed to unlock the immense mineral wealth of the region, particularly its vast phosphate deposits. The city spans a total area of 440 square kilometers, with 290 km² designated for development and 150 km² specifically allocated for Ma'aden's phosphate industrial projects, which form the core of the city's economic activity. The first phase of the city's industrial projects was inaugurated by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in November 2018, with construction having begun in 2014. The development of the city's infrastructure is being managed by the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) in cooperation with the Public Investment Fund.