Saudi Industry Ministry Concludes Ninth Licensing Round

01/01/2026 03:54 AST

The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources announced on Wednesday the names of 24 companies and consortia that have won licenses in the ninth exploration licensing round, the largest in the Kingdom's history to date.

The winning entities were awarded 172 mining sites, including 76 sites that advanced to a multi-round public auction, across three mineralized belts in the regions of Riyadh, Madinah, and Qassim, with total committed exploration spend of over SAR671 million during the first two years of their work programs.

This milestone comes as part of the ministry's ongoing efforts to accelerate mineral exploration and development in the Kingdom, in line with the objectives of Vision 2030, which positions the mining sector as the third pillar of the national industrial economy, said the ministry in a statement.

The ninth round offered over 24,000 km2, spanning the Ad-Duwaihi/Nabitah gold belt in Riyadh Region, as well as the Nuqrah and Sukhaybirah/As-Safra gold belts in Madinah and Qassim regions. These areas are rich in strategic minerals, including gold, copper, silver, zinc, and nickel. The round witnessed strong interest and high-quality competition from leading local and international companies, reflecting growing confidence in Saudi Arabia's mining investment environment and its attractiveness at both regional and global levels.

The list of winning companies includes several leading international firms and prominent local companies, namely: Desert EX Pty Ltd Company; Batin Alard for Gold Company; Royal Roads Arabia Company; Sierra Nevada Gold Inc. Company; Aurum Global Group; Brunswick Exploration Incorporated; EQLEED-INDOTAN Mining Company; Helderberg Limited Company; Rawafed Alola for Mining Company; Saudi Gold Refinery Limited Company; Arabian Discovery Mining Company; Al Ghazal Al Arabi Mining Company; Almasar Minerals Holding Limited Company; Al Tasnim Enterprises LLC Company; Arabian Gulf Skylark. The Distinguished Consortium Mining Company, Two Limited Company; Maaden Ivanhoe Electric Exploration and Development Limited Company.

Several newly formed consortia also emerged winners in the licensing round, such as Demir Engineering Ltd, Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd, and Kaz United Mining LLC Consortium; KENZ Global Resources Ltd, and Manahil Al Sharq Mining and Al Rayyan Mining Resources Co. Consortium; Maaden Barrick Technology Experts Co. and Andiamo Exploration Ltd Company; Shandong Gold (Beijing) Industrial Investment Co., Ltd., Development Co., Ltd., and Ajlan & Bros Company for Mining; Midana Exploration Pty Ltd and Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) Consortium; and McEwen Mining Inc. and Sumou Holding Company Consortium.

The ninth round saw 26 qualified companies participate via the electronic bidding platform. The round was conducted in several stages with the highest levels of transparency: prequalification, site selection via the platform, and a multi-round public auction for sites attracting more than one bidder.

The ministry further noted that the scale of investment commitments in this round supports the development of underexplored greenfield areas and helps unlock the Kingdom's estimated mineral wealth of SAR9.4 trillion, thereby strengthening the resilience of mineral supply chains.

The ministry confirmed that licensing will continue through the 10th round, spanning 13,000 km2 across Madinah, Makkah, Riyadh, Qassim, and Hail. It will include new sites that extend the mineralized belts offered in the ninth round.

The ministry will announce additional exploration and investment opportunities for 2026 at the fifth edition of the Future Minerals Forum (FMF), scheduled to take place in Riyadh from January 13 to 15.

These efforts are part of the Kingdom's comprehensive strategy for the mining and mineral industries, aimed at maximizing the value of mineral resources, attracting global investment, creating jobs, enhancing value-chain integration, and reinforcing Saudi Arabia's position as a global mining hub, in line with the ambitions of Vision 2030, it stressed.

Asharq Al Awsat