A huge number of factors operate to determine the success of massive developments such as Jubail and Yanbu Industrial cities.

The creation of these world-class pillars of industry required unprecedented development of infrastructure, human resources, engineering schemes, planning and logistics and financial strength.

Organisations and individuals, national industrial giants and international corporations have all played a part.

While the sheer number of milestones is massive, here are some of the key landmarks in the life of the industrial cities:

1973

Work began at Jubail industrial and commercial ports

1975

Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu established

Jubail Master Plan commissioned

1976

First construction contract at Jubail completed

Yanbu Master Plan commissioned

1977

Yanbu Master Plan completed and adopted

Pioneer construction camps established and ground broken for industrial infrastructure in Jubail

Jubail Master Plan completed and adopted

Power Station 1 completed in Jubail

Microwave link established between Jubail and Dhahran

1978

Pioneer port completed in Yanbu

First support industry established in Jubail

Jubail Human Resources Training Centre opened

Electrodialysis water treatment plant completed at Jubail

Reverse osmosis water treatment plant completed at Jubail

Materials testing contracts awarded to monitor all construction materials

Three conservation areas designated in Jubail

1979

First permanent telephone cable network completed in Jubail

Seven air quality monitoring stations commissioned in Jubail

Light Industrial Park infrastructure completed in Jubail

1980

Construction of first primary industry started (Saudi Iron and Steel Co - Hadeed) in Jubail

Third Development Plan published, calling for development of five primary industry plants at Yanbu

1981

Arrival of the first ship at King Fahd Industrial Port in Jubail

Construction started on tank farms and marine structures at King Fahd Industrial Port in Jubail

Port infrastructure completed at Jubail

First crude tanker docked and loaded at King Fahd Port in Yanbu

Start up of East-West pipelines and Saudi Aramco crude oil terminal in Yanbu

Royal Commission Headquarters building opened

Three conservation areas designated

Reverse osmosis desalination plant onstream

1982

Seawater cooling system commissioned in Jubail

Start up of Hadeed

Onshore desalination plant commissioned in Jubail

First export operation through King Fahd Port in Jubail

Jubail Port transferred to Saudi Arabian Seaports Authority

Royal Commission Human Resources Development Institute (RCHRDIJ) opened in Jubail

Start up of Aramco NGL fractionation plant in Yanbu

Light Industrial park infrastructure completed in Yanbu

1983

Royal Commission Headquarters Building opened in Jubail

Start up of Ar Razi in Jubail

Industrial wastewater treatment plant onstream in Jubail

Start up of Samad in Jubail

Pollution control centre established in Jubail

Start up of Saudi Aramco's domestic Yanbu Refinery

Desalination plant commissioned in Yanbu

Infrastructure for heavy industry (primary and secondary) completed

1984

Start up of Saudi Aramco Sulphur Prilling and export plant

Start up of Gas

Start up of Kemya

Start up of Ibn Sina

Start up of Sadaf

Start up of Petromin-Mobil Yanbu refinery (Pemref)

Transfer of King Fahd Port to Saudi Arabian Seaports Authority in Yanbu

Monitoring and enforcement of environmental standards for industry instituted in Yanbu

Start up of Yanpet

1985

Industrial wastewater treatment plant commissioned in Yanbu

Power plant commissioned in Yanbu

Five air quality monitoring stations in operation in Yanbu

Emergency services control centre activated in Yanbu

Start up of Sasref

Start up of Petrokemya

Start up of Sharq

All electrical facilities in Jubail transferred to Saudi Consolidated Electric Company (Sceco)

1986

Start up of Ibn Hayyan in Jubail

1987

Start up of Ibn Al Baytar in Jubail

Start up of Petrolube

Start up of first industry in Secondary Industries Park (Saudi Urethane Chemical Company) in Jubail

1988

Start up of Ibn Zahr in Jubail

Royal Commission Human resources Development Institute in Yanbu opened

1989

RCHRDIJ elevated to Jubail Industrial College

Monitoring and enforcement of industry environmental programme initiated in Jubail

RCHRDIY elevated to Yanbu Industrial College

1990

Start up of Ibn Al Baytar (second phase)

1991

Start up of Saudi Formaldehyde Chemical Company (SFCCL) in Jubail

Construction started on Safco

Start up of National Titanium Dioxide Co (Cristal) at Yanbu

1992

Start up of two light manufacturing industries Saudi Belleli and Iscosa

Completion of Ar Razi expansion

1993

Start up of Safco

Completion of expansion project at Petrokemya

Construction started on Ibn Rushd

1994

Start up of Ibn Sina MTBE unit

Royal Commission-sponsored private investment workshop held in Riyadh

Plans to build five new primary and secondary plants at Yanbu for aromatics, PTA, cyclohexane, phenol-acetone and styrene announced by Sabic

1995

Start up of Ibn Rushd in Yanbu

Engineering and construction contracts for new PTA and aromatics plants let by Sabic

Major expansion of Yanpet announced

Memorandum of Understanding signed between Royal Commission, Bechtel and Parsons for private financing, development, expansion and operation of utilities at Yanbu

Royal Commission-sponsored gas conference held in Jubail

Start up of Arabian Chemical Company Ltd (ACCL) in Jubail

Start up of Amino Molding Compound Factory (Saudi Binladin Group) in Jubail

Completion of SFCCL expansion

Completion of Ibn Zahr expansion

Completion of Ibn Hayyan expansion

Completion of 2-ethyl hexanol expansion at Samad

Memorandum of Understanding signed between Royal Commission, Bechtel and Parsons for private financing, development, expansion and operation of utilities at Jubail

1996

Installation started of major infrastructure systems to support Yanpet expansion

1997

Start up of Luberef lube oil refinery in Yanbu

Royal Commission-sponsored gas conference held in Yanbu

Completion of Ar Razi III expansion

Completion of Sadaf MTBE plant

1998

Start of Ibn Rushd PTA aromatics complex in Yanbu

Olefins capacity expanded at Petrokemya from 500,000 tpy to 650,000 tpy

Completion of Gas argon unit

1999

Fourth methanol plant commissioned at Ar Razi (Ar Razi IV)

The Kingdom's first private primary industry came onstream for Saudi Chevron Petrochemical Company (SCPC)

2000

New ethylene glycol plant came onstream at Sharq, making the plant the largest single-complex producer in the world

Olefins III expansion project completed at Petrokemya

Safco III expansion came onstream

New Foreign Investment Laws introduced

Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) formed

Sasref commissioned its Thermal Gasoil Unit/Gas turbine project (TGU)

Ibn Zahr doubled polypropylene production to 640,000 tpy

Ibn Rushd completed ''back integration'' of its polyester manufacturing complex

2001

Kemya brought onstream ethylene plant, linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), LDPE and propylene facilities

Sadaf added second styrene monomer plant

Sadaf selected CMS of the US and Zamil of Saudi Arabia to develop a 320MW cogeneration plant - a first for the Kingdom

Major expansion completed at Yanpet, including ethylene, propylene, pyrolysis gasoline and polyethylene units.

New $666 million utility company, Marafeq, formed

Milestones from 1973 to 1998 provided by Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu