Saudi Arabia issued 32 new mining permits to local and foreign firms in June, bringing the total licences granted in this sector to more than 2,300, official figures have shown.

The new permits include 17 licences for mine exploration, two for small mine exploitation and11 for building material production, showed the figures by the Industry and Mineral Resources Ministry.

The report, published by the Arabic language daily Al-Madina on Thursday, showed the new permits brought to 2,363 the total number of mining licences issued by the Ministry.

Riyadh received the lion’s share of the mining licences, which stood at 596, following by the Western Makkah city, with 387 permits, the report said.

Saudi Arabia, which is seeking to diversify its oil-reliant economy, has issued a new law with the aim of attracting capital to the mining industry, with an estimated value of nearly 5 trillion Saudi riyals ($1.33 trillion).

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

Subscribe to our Projects' PULSE newsletter that brings you trustworthy news, updates and insights on project activities, developments and partnerships across sectors in the Middle East and Africa.