Saudi Arabia has at least 5,300 mineral locations: forum

RIYADH, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) — The Future Minerals Forum held on Tuesday in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, revealed that mineral explorations showed at least 5,300 mineral locations in the kingdom.

Abdulaziz bin Labon, chairman of the Saudi Geologists Cooperative Association, said the locations vary in minerals, metal and non-metal rocks, building materials, decorative rocks and gemstones, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

On the sideline of the forum, the inaugural Ministerial Roundtable on Sustainable Future Minerals was held with the participation of more than 32 ministers, government representatives and nine international organizations from around the world.

“We are convening the ministerial roundtable to further regional collaboration on the sustainable development of the mining and minerals industry,” said Khalid Al-Mudaifer, vice-minister for mining affairs at the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources.

We hope to establish a common framework and share best practices to ensure the reliable and responsibly sourced supply of critical minerals for the global transition to net zero, he added.

Net-zero refers to a balance between the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere.

The participants discussed the emerging mining super-region that stretches from Africa to Central Asia, an area endowed with rich mineral resources that offer massive opportunities for exploration and development.

On the sideline of the forum, the eighth consultative meeting of the Arab Mineral Resources Ministers was also held on Tuesday.

The meeting discussed the progress of the establishment of a database for the production of mineral ores in the Arab countries, the establishment of a geological and mineral portal for Arab countries, and Arab capacity building in the mining sector.

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