Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) has awarded two major earthworks packages to local contractors for the Khalifa Industrial Zone at Taweelah.

The contracts, which together involve more than 40 million cu m of landfill and a total cost of Dh1 billion ($272 million), have been awarded to Al Jaber Group and Ghantoot Transport & General Contracting Establishment.
The scope of work requires the contractors to clear and grub approximately 19 sq km of land area within the Khalifa Industrial Zone and then fill, spread and compact the area to a new raised level of +2.5 m MSL. The two contracts which require approximately 300 trucks will be moving over 1.2 million cu m of fill per month (which equates to 1,500 truck movements per day) from an ADPC area on the east of Sheikh Rashid Highway to the Taweelah industrial area. The work will be completed in 36 months and will progressively release levelled areas for phased development.
The awards mark the start of construction activities in area A of Khalifa Industrial Zone which covers 53 sq km of the total 137-sq-km area of the industrial zone.
Strategically located between the cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai in Taweelah, Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone (KPIZ) is a multi-billion-dollar project designed as a multi-purpose facility that involves the construction of a world-scale container and industrial port in addition to the development of over 100 sq km of industrial, logistics, commercial, educational, and residential zones.
The dredging and reclamation at the site of the Khalifa Port started on February 17 and consists of dredging 45 million cu m as well as reclamation of the offshore port island, which will cover a 275-hectare area. The port will be completed in phases and the first vessel is expected to visit Khalifa Port by the end of 2010.
ADPC is also inviting companies to express interest in an infrastructure package for the port component of the industrial area. The first phase of Khalifa Port, situated off the coast at Taweelah, will open in 2010, with container capacity for two million containers and six million tonnes of general cargo.
Four subsequent phases will result in capacity rising to 22 million containers and 35 million tonnes of cargo by 2028.
ADPC is a master developer and regulator of ports and industrial zones. Its purpose is to create a sustainable growth platform that spurs economic expansion and diversification for Abu Dhabi by developing world-class infrastructure, real-estate and business services in conjunction with the private sector.
ADPC has been mandated to develop all ports (with the exception of oil and gas and military ports) and related infrastructure in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.