FT.com / Industrials - Abu Dhabi enters the industrial zone

The site at Taweelah – a barren, sandy tract of land on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi – might not impress now, but the emirate hopes it will eventually be the industrial heart of a more balanced, diverse economy.

Strategically situated roughly halfway between Abu Dhabi and neighbouring Dubai, it will be the site of the Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone, arguably one of the most important projects planned in the United Arab Emirates.

There is no official cost estimate for the overall KPIZ project, which is not due to be completed until 2030, but Zawya Dow Jones, a data provider, estimates that just the zone’s port and infrastructure will cost $24bn, not counting the various individual plants and other associated projects.