Van der Hoeven Horticultural Projects (Van der Hoeven), Netherlands announced in a statement that it has been awarded a design, build and operate contract by NEOM for two separate horticultural test facilities as part of the NEOM development in Saudi Arabia Tabuk Province.
NEOM’s Food sector strives to become the world’s most food self-sufficient region, able to nourish residents with diverse, healthy food while preserving natural resources and reducing waste.
Michiel Schoenmaeckers, recently appointed CEO of Van der Hoeven: “A design, build and operate contract of this scale is unprecedented in the industry and thus we are very pleased to have been selected. As Van der Hoeven, we have a rich tradition in creating sustainable horticultural solutions to the highest technical and environmental standards. The scope of this contract allows us to realize and demonstrate the latest technologies, with the aim of bringing the horticultural industry forward on a global scale in terms of carbon neutral climate control, efficient water management and A.I.-driven crop growing and harvesting.”
The two facilities are built in different climate zones and will serve as commercial scale pilots to optimize technological configurations. In one location a novel solar and seawater driven cooling system will be introduced to operate the greenhouse throughout the extreme summer heat without making use of fossil fuels or putting a strain on local energy grids.
The contract entails design and construction of the two facilities covering a combined area of over 110,000 square meters, and the service to operate and maintain both facilities for a span of multiple years.
