Environmental Program | Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON)

Towards the environment

Environment

We established the Modon Environmental Management System (MEMS) in 2013 to support and develop environmental services provided in our industrial cities and monitor their carbon footprint – with a goal to develop environmentally-friendly industrial cities. Implementation of the system commenced with a first phase launch (MEMS-I), executed in partnership with Japanese company Fujitsu.

MEMS comprises eight programs, including a project to monitor ambient air at major industrial cities including Riyadh Second, Jeddah First and Dammam Second industrial cities, while two initiatives to test emissions and monitor wastewater were also launched.

In 2015, the second phase of the MEMS was introduced in partnership with Saudi Envirozone company with a new vision and incorporating state-of-the-art French technology in many products and services under its umbrella. Advanced programs launched during this phase covered 15 industrial cities, including a program to increase the number of ambient air quality assessment stations to 10 fixed installations as well as a mobile station to ensure a wider emissions testing coverage. This was followed by the introduction of a qualitative program to conduct environmental audits at industrial facilities and which conformed to ISO 14001 standards. Other key initiatives included:

an environmental systems automation program that uses specialized databases;
an air pollution modeling project;
a quality assurance/quality control program in partnership with British company Ricardo-AEA; and
a specialized qualification scheme to train and build national competencies

Modon teams were directly responsible for executing six MEMS phase II programs that covered the following:

sanitation
environmental inspections
environmental awareness
assessment of industrial requests
environmental rehabilitation
environmental risk assessment

Modon also supervised the performance of contractors implementing these programs.

At the beginning of 2019, the third phase of MEMS was launched in partnership with Saudi Envirozone. More operational in nature, this phase covered a greater number of industrial cities and was focused on the effective implementation of several key programs:

operation and maintenance of ambient air quality stations
10 fixed stations and a mobile station
emissions testing
an environmental inspection scheme that meets ISO 14001 standards
development and operation of mems’ electronic systems

Environmental inspection

Modon is committed to improving industrial facilities’ environmental efficiency by identifying and remedying harmful bad practices through the introduction of a specialized environmental inspection program and expanding our assessment practices quantitatively and qualitatively. The program has covered 17 industrial cities and conducted 488 visits so far.

Emissions tests

In adherence to local regulations on assessing how far industrial operations and their emissions impact air quality in general, we calculated the concentration levels of suspended particulate matter in addition to gaseous pollutants emitted from chimneys at industrial cities. The resulting data had a clear impact on how we managed such emissions, in addition to facilitating a reduction in pollution at the industrial cities. Industrial facilities with high emissions rates from one or more type of pollutants were provided with optimal engineering solutions by experts. Modon employees supervised the implementation of such solutions.

A total of 443 tests were conducted in nine industrial cities as part of the emissions tests program. The assessments adhered to the standards of local regulatory authorities such as the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment’s General Environmental Regulations and those of international bodies including the United States Environmental Protection Agency and World Bank.

Air Quality Stations

Modon initially operated three fixed air quality monitoring stations before increasing this number to 10 in addition to a mobile station. These installations provide a constant stream of data about the environmental status and meteorological conditions of the 10 industrial cities they cover. The mobile station has been assigned to look after high-potential cities and provides information helping us to assess their general environmental conditions. The resultant data ensures we can optimally plan for the cities’ future by identifying the most environmentally efficient industries and allocating them accordingly

Afforestation projects

Modon is committed to developing afforestation projects and increasing the number of trees planted in our industrial cities. So far, 75,630 trees have been planted along with 173,000 desert seedlings. We have also increased the total area of green spaces to a cumulative 1.8 million square meters of landscaping, trees, lakes and fountains in line with our drive to transform our industrial cities into environmentally friendly metropolises. Several MoUs have been signed with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to plant 1 million trees in industrial cities across the Kingdom through our afforestation and development of natural vegetation initiative. These agreements are an integral part of our objective to protect the environment, support wildlife and reduce the impact of desert encroachment.

Water

Modon works in line with an integrated plan to develop water services and facilities in our industrial cities. We succeeded in establishing new drinking water stations, pumping stations and wastewater treatment plants, in addition to building water tanks and expanding irrigation networks. Modon currently operates six usufruct contracts and eight operation agreements to deliver water services across our industrial cities. We are also committed to developing channels of communication with our partners to ensure quality provision of water services, environmental sustainability and reuse of this precious resource. Water services 2020: No. of benefiting partners 3,191, No. of drinking water stations 27, No. of wastewater treatment plants 11, Total produced drinking water 40,469,276 m3, Total produced wastewater 27,864,926 m3, Total treated wastewater 26,371,632 m3, Percentage of utilized treated wastewater 59%.