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When Saudi Arabia introduced its ambitious $500 billion megacity project, envisioned as a dazzling gem in the heart of the nation’s desert, it captured the world’s attention.
However, the NEOM project—planned to be a high-tech utopia constructed from the ground up near Saudi Arabia’s border with Jordan—has faced challenges, as revealed by one worker’s insights.
NEOM was unveiled in 2017 as part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s Project 2030, a significant initiative aiming to reduce the oil-dependent country’s economic reliance on fossil fuels.
NEOM will be a futuristic city across 26,000 sqft on the Red Sea and will include smaller projects The Line, Oxagon, Trojena, Sindalah and the Gulf of Aqaba Projects.
Stunning concept art gave a taste of what was to come, from floating structures to luxury holiday and ski resorts, but eight years on and not much progress has been made.
The daring project has been plagued by setbacks and controversy ever since the first construction workers descended into the sprawling dunes.
The anticipated cost of delivering the gargantuan scheme is reported to have spiralled from $500bn (£386bn) estimate to a head-spinning $8.8 trillion (£6.8 trillion), according to The New Civil Engineer.
But even more shocking are the human rights abuses and brutal conditions for workers looming over NEOM – issues that have plagued the country well before the project.
As many as 21,000 are reported to have died during construction on various sections of NEOM, although Saudi authorities have disputed this figure.
One former employee has shared their story of working at the gigaproject with The Sun, shedding light on the atrocities taking place behind NEOM’s doors.
Rights organisations have long blasted the Saudi regime’s record on workers’ welfare, with a recent Human Rights Watch report detailing the “gruesome yet avoidable” deaths faced by many migrant workers.
The advocacy group mentions that some workers die falling from buildings, by electrocution, and even decapitation.
Human Rights Watch researcher Joey Shea told the Sun: “Unfortunately migrant workers in Saudi Arabia continue to face widespread abuses, some of which may amount to situations of forced labour, including at high profile gigaprojects.
“On NEOM, Human Rights Watch has found that ambitious targets set by Saudi authorities have tight and unrealistic deadlines which can lead employers to demand that workers continue to work under dangerous conditions.
“Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia experience illegal and exorbitant Recruitment Fees, limits to job mobility, obstacles exiting the country, as well as serious health and safety risks.”
Michael, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, told The Sun that the project is unlikely to be anywhere near complete before 2055.
Talking about delays, Michael said: “From the very beginning, NEOM had a very long timeline.
“There were certain objectives they wanted to achieve by 2030, but most of the leadership were aware of a longer timeframe.”
Michael said NEOM’s management has “overspent quite a bit” since its announcement.
He says: “They were focusing on way too many things at the same time.
“They just wanted everything at the highest level possible. The biggest entertainment complex in the world. The biggest media studio in the region.
“No matter how much money you throw at the thing, it takes more than just money to make it work.”
The much hyped project, aided by an aggressive social media marketing campaign, has sought to big up NEOM as a vision of futuristic city living.
Sci-fi ideas from levitating trains to an artificial moon are reported to have been among the features of the project.
But NEOM continues to fall chronically behind schedule, with many of its most ambitious projects still looking like a distant dream.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, the former employee described the work culture at NEOM.
He said: “When I started doing the project, I talked to some people and said that it’s absolutely crazy.
“Then my Saudi friend told me that in this region, things tend to not be the way they seem. In reality, you never know what’s going on in the highest echelons of power.”
NEOM brands itself as the “future of urban living”, aimed at providing sustainable living with 100% renewable energy.
One of the flagship proposals in the project is The Line – a single-building high-tech “city” that would house nine million people in just 34 square kilometres.
Located deep in the desert, NEOM’s construction has also seen horrifying reports of forced displacement of tribal villagers from to make way for construction.
Those who resisted suffered a brutal crackdown, which has drawn furious condemnation from human rights groups.
A report into the matter by Saudi human rights group ALQST reads: “The NEOM project, which has been mired in secrecy from the start and marked by serious rights violations, shows the extent to which the Saudi authorities are prepared to proceed with planned projects at the expense of local inhabitants.”
Julia Legner, executive director at ALQST for human rights, told The Sun: “While the project faces reported delays and downsizing, the human rights concerns remain as pressing as ever.
“These include widespread labour rights abuses and uninvestigated worker deaths, and the continued imprisonment of dozens of local inhabitants who peacefully opposed their forced displacement.
“At this critical juncture, companies involved—or considering involvement—must carefully assess the situation and take appropriate action to avoid complicity in these ongoing abuses.”
Many experts have questioned the viability of the proposals, and Michael is sceptical they will ever be realised.
“Maybe the idea of The Line and robot cops is a very expensive marketing ploy. But it’s worked,” he said.
“So what if it’s going to be scaled back? They’ve achieved their objective. It’s put Saudi Arabia on the map.
“Even if NEOM just becomes a small tourist resort with some hotel and villas, that would already be seen as a massive success.”
Saudi Arabia has invested vast sums in prestige building projects across the country over the past decade.
This isn’t just limited to NEOM, with plans to build the world’s tallest building in Jeddah and numerous stadiums for the 2034 FIFA World Cup also well underway.
Top 5 blunders plaguing NEOM project
BY Juliana Cruz Lima, Foreign News Reporter
Saudi Arabia’s NEOM project, despite its ambitious vision, has been criticized for several major blunders that have raised concerns about its feasibility, ethics, and overall execution.
Here are the top five major blunders associated with the project:
Forced Displacement of Indigenous Communities: One of the most significant controversies surrounding NEOM is the forced displacement of the Huwaitat tribe.
This indigenous community, which has lived in the area for centuries, was forcibly removed from their ancestral lands to make way for the development of the mega-city.
The Saudi government’s crackdown on those who resisted, including the killing of a tribal leader, Abdul Rahim al-Howeiti, has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights organisations.
This blunder not only sparked international outrage but also tainted NEOM’s image as a forward-thinking, humane project.
Environmental Impact and Sustainability Concerns: NEOM has been marketed as an environmentally sustainable city, but the environmental impact of such a massive development is a major concern.
The project’s scale—covering over 26,500 square kilometers—poses significant risks to local ecosystems, particularly in the Red Sea, which is home to rich marine biodiversity.
Critics argue that the construction of artificial islands and extensive urbanisation could lead to irreversible ecological damage.
The enormous water and energy demands required to maintain a green city in the desert also raise questions about the project’s sustainability.
Economic Viability and Cost Overruns: NEOM is one of the most expensive development projects in history.
But there are serious doubts about its economic viability. Critics question whether the project can attract the necessary foreign investment and whether it will generate sufficient returns to justify the enormous expenditure.
The economic risks are further compounded by potential cost overruns and delays, which are common in megaprojects of this scale.
This financial gamble has led some to worry that NEOM could become a costly white elephant if it fails to meet its ambitious goals.
Technological Overreach and Ethical Concerns: NEOM is envisioned as a high-tech city, heavily reliant on artificial intelligence, robotics, and extensive surveillance systems.
While this technological ambition is central to NEOM’s identity, it also raises significant ethical concerns. The level of surveillance planned for the city could lead to unprecedented control over residents’ lives, sparking fears about privacy and civil liberties.
The lack of transparency about how AI will be used, coupled with concerns about job displacement, has also led to criticism that NEOM’s technological vision may be more dystopian than utopian.
Cultural and Social Disconnect: NEOM’s vision of a futuristic, liberalized society clashes sharply with Saudi Arabia’s deeply conservative cultural norms.
The project plans to introduce mixed-gender sports, entertainment events, and other liberal lifestyle elements that are rare in the kingdom.
This cultural shift has raised concerns about a potential clash between NEOM’s globalised vision and the traditional values of Saudi society.
The disconnect between the project’s ambitions and the broader cultural context has led to skepticism about whether NEOM can truly integrate into Saudi Arabia’s social fabric without causing significant friction.
But widespread problems with workers’ rights have been reported across these projects, with Human Rights Watch blasting a “blatant failure to protect migrant workers” in the country.
“These abuses are enabled by Saudi Arabia’s kafala, or labour sponsorship, system that ties the legal status of migrant workers to their respective sponsors,” the group says.
An Amnesty International spokesperson told The Sun: “With projects like NEOM Saudi Arabia is trying to present a glitzy, futuristic vision of the country, but this should not come at the expense of human rights.
“Governments supporting investment in the project have a clear obligation to ensure they are not contributing to human rights violations and all investors, and companies involved in NEOM have a responsibility to carry out necessary due diligence checks to identify, prevent and address human rights abuses.
“No vision of the future can justify trampling on human rights today.”
But Michael believes the country is ultimately “heading in the right direction”, noting the lifting of a ban on women driving and reduction in policing of religion.
“NEOM is an incredibly interesting business story. It’s a big story in how big projects sometimes fail,” Michael said.
The Saudi embassy in London and NEOM were contacted for comment.
