Saudi Arabia is seeking pre-qualification applications for the ninth round of exploration license competitions, covering three mineralised belts covering 24,946 square kilometres (sq. km)

The targeted belts include Nuqrah and Sukhaybrah Al-Safra in the Madinah region, as well as Nabitah in the Riyadh region, the ministry said in a post on social messaging platform X.

These sites contain a variety of precious and base metals, including gold, copper, silver, zinc, and nickel.

The prequalification initiative is part of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resource’s plan to offer exploration licenses for mining sites across more than 50,000 sq km in 2025.

The government aims to maximise its mineral resources valued at $ 2.5 trillion and enhance value-added mineral supply chains.
 
The process consists of three main stages: the first stage is the pre-qualification stage, which commenced at the Future Minerals Forum in January and will continue until early May.

The bidding deadline is August 15, with winners announced by August 30.

Over the past years, the ministry has tendered more than 10,000 sq km for exploration.  

(Editing by Anoop Menon) (anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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