Holy Mecca goes green soon

The Secretariat of Holy Mecca are making arrangements to implement largest very hi-tech solar energy generation project in the Middle East at a total cost of SR 2.9 billion. The Saudi daily newspaper (Al-Medina) quoted today the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Developing Municipal Investments in the Sacred Capital as saying that "the Secretariat has announced the solar energy project tender and invited pre-qualified bidders and that twenty companies have been excluded due to very rigorous world-class specifications included in the Tender Specifications Book and that two multinational conglomerates have been awarded the tender to implement the service. At a total cost of approximately SR 2.9 billion, the bid-winning contractors are considered the topmost highly qualified firms in the field of solar and renewable energy projects. The project will be implemented within three years in order to supply the city of Holy Mecca with solar-generated electricity so as to become the first green city in the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The project will become entirely owned by the Secretariat after ten years have elapsed in order for the Secretariat to expend no more funds in consideration for its own electricity bills. The project will save 300,000 barrels of fuel oil which if calculated at USD 100 per barrel will save more than SR 2 billion in favor of the Saudi state treasury. The project is environmentally-friendly and reduces carbon emissions. The project will be implemented on a total space of 2 million square meters. Land on which the project will be implemented will be bought and the project will finally be wholly owned by the Secretariat of the Sacred Capital.