A vast number of milestones have been reached over the course of the growth of Jubail and Yanbu.

Some of the more significant landmarks are recorded here which have played a part in their successes.
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