Seawater concrete: Saudi’s Public Investment Fund and Neom in sustainable concrete initiative
30 January 2025
A Saudi Arabian consortium that includes Neom and the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has launched a new sustainable concrete initiative called NovusCrete.
Consortium members attended a signing ceremony for the NovusCrete memorandum of understanding (Image courtesy of PIF)
The consortium, led by the Oil Sustainability Program (OSP), also involves the Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC), concrete producer SIKA, and ClimateCrete.
It seeks to accelerate technological advancements in sustainable concrete solutions, while prioritizing localisation in the use of seawater, polymer-based materials, recycled construction and demolition waste, and fine sand.
The PIF said that through the collaboration, members would facilitate the adoption and expansion of seawater concrete applications, reinforced with glass-fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebar and other sustainable materials in the building and construction sector.
It aims to develop standards and codes on the use of seawater in concrete and promote sustainability in the building and construction sectors by recycling waste, extending infrastructure lifespan and reducing the environmental impact of the sectors.
The new consortium is supported by leading local and international entities, including the American Concrete Institute (ACI), which established Committee 243 – Seawater Concrete, responsible for developing reports, guidelines, standards and codes on the use of seawater in concrete.
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, chairman of the supervisory committee of the OSP witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to launch NovusCrete.
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