The National Minerals Program is a national program concerned with the efficiency and sufficiency of current and future minerals supply chains in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia . It is affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources . It aims to optimize the value created by the mining sector and foster the continuity of regional and global mineral supply chains. The Council of Ministers approved the program on July 16, 2024. Plans of the National Minerals Program The National Miner...
Zirconium metal is derived from the mineral zircon, which is found in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in non-economic quantities, typically associated with volcanic intrusions in the rocks of the Arabian Shield. The main locations where it can be found are al-Ghurayyah, Jabal Sayid, Umm al-Birk, and Jabal al-Hamra. However, no economically viable concentrations of zircon-containing heavy minerals or beach deposits have been discovered. Zirconium is considered one of the rare metals, and the Ministr...
The Buqayq Field is located in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia . It is an onshore oil field discovered in 1940 and is one of the first oil fields discovered in the Kingdom. It houses the largest crude oil stabilization plant in the world, supplying approximately 5 percent of the world's oil. It is approximately forty-eight km from Dhahran City , where the headquarters of Saudi Aramco is located. To its west lies the Ghawar Field , the largest conventional oil field in t...
The 'Nuthree' Mining Exploration Incubator Initiative is an initiative aimed at increasing expenditure on exploration activities, supporting the Saudi geological database with more reliable information, and increasing the number of national companies. It was launched by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on March 10, 2023, in collaboration with the Saudi Geological Survey and the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Monsha’at...
Electricity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia began in 1907 with two generators powered by coal and kerosene. Over the following decades, it evolved, leading the Kingdom into the era of renewable energy projects. The country witnessed the establishment of a legislative and regulatory framework for this sector, with specialized companies created to produce and transmit electricity. The history of the introduction of electricity into Saudi Arabia Electricity was introduced into the Kingdom in 1907 t...
The number of gold mines in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is six, with a total production of 434,845 oz. in 2020. Ad-Duwayhi Mine, the currently largest gold-producing mine in the Kingdom, is located in Makkah al-Mukarramah Province and has produced 248,998 oz. Al-Amar Mine , located west of Riyadh Province , produced 31,968 oz. The Bulghah and as-Sukhayrat Mines, located in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah and Qassim Provinces, had a combined production of 78,524 oz. Mahd ad-Dhahab Mine , located in al-...
Ras Tannurah Port is the largest Saudi oil port in the world, handling approximately 90 percent of the hydrocarbon materials exported from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to global markets. The port is located north of Dammam City , situated on the Arabian Gulf coast. Features of Ras Tannurah Port Ras Tannurah Port operates with a capacity to accommodate over two thousand large oil tankers annually. It handles the shipment of no less than nine million bbl of hydrocarbon materials daily and unloads ...
Mica in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the industrial non-metallic minerals discovered within the extensive sedimentary formations of the Kingdom. Geological setting of mica mineral Mica is a group of complex phyllosilicate or sheet silicate minerals, chemically composed of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, lithium, and aluminum silicates. It is characterized by its ability to easily split into extremely thin sheets, making it industrially viable for electrical insulation in e...
The National Geological Database Initiative is an initiative aimed at forming a comprehensive database focused on geology. This database includes information on geological surveys, exploration, mineral resources, and natural resources in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia . It is intended to attract investors and support the industry. The initiative was launched in 2019 by the Saudi Geological Survey as part of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP). Objectives of the Nation...
The Renewable Resource Atlas is a project launched by King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE) in December 2013. The project aims to create a database that can be utilized when executing renewable energy projects for power production and water desalination. It is a national project to measure renewable energy resources across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; namely: solar energy, wind energy, energy-from-waste, and geothermal energy. Renewable Resource Atlas activities The Rene...
Quartz Stone in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the semi-precious stones available in the Kingdom. Its chemical composition is silicon dioxide (SiO2), and it has no color. It has a hardness level of seven, a specific density of 2065, a refractive index of 1.544-1.553, and a density of 2.65 g/cm. One of its characteristics is that it scratches glass. The reason for quartz naming Quartz derived its name from a German word meaning 'very white.' It belongs to the hexagonal (trigonal...
Beryl Stone in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a precious stone found in six sites across the Kingdom. It belongs to the mineral family of emeralds and aquamarine, within the group of aluminum and beryllium silicates. Its chemical composition is aluminum and beryllium silicate, and it is green in color, following the hexagonal crystal system. Characteristics of beryl stone Beryl stone crystals are grooved and rough, or prismatic, with a glassy luster. It naturally occurs in pegmatitic granite an...