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Iraq is considering strategic projects to invest in silica reserves in its Al-Anbar province, aiming to shift from raw exports to value-added industries and reduce dependence on oil income, officials have said.
Adnan Al-Kubaisi, a member of the Al-Anbar Provincial Council, told Shafaq News that the province’s silica resources remain underutilised despite ranking among the world’s leading reserves of high-purity silica.
He noted that purity levels reach up to 99 percent in some locations, among the highest grades required for advanced technological industries.
Discovered reserves currently stand at around 600 million tonnes, with expectations that the figure could rise to one billion tonnes or more, he said.
In April 2025, Iraq's Ministry of Industry and Minerals had announced the signing of a cooperation agreement between the General Company for Glass and Refractories and Saudi Arabia’s Ajyal Company to establish the country’s largest integrated industrial complex for silica-based projects in Anbar province.
Iraq’s National Investment Commission (NIC) estimated that the silica sand sector has the potential to contribute up to $100 billion annually to the national economy, according to a February 2025 Zawya Projects report.
(Writing by N Saeed; Editing by Anoop Menon)
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