The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources issued 34 new mining licenses in May 2023, including 20 exploration licenses, 13 building material quarry licenses, and one mining and small mine exploitation license, according to a report from the National Center for Industrial and Mining Information, affiliated with the Ministry.
The report indicated that the number of active mining licenses in the sector by the end of May 2023 reached 2,365, with building material quarry licenses leading at 1,475, followed by exploration licenses at 644, small mining and exploitation licenses at 182, survey licenses at 36, and 28 surplus mineral ore licenses.
The report revealed that the Riyadh region accounted for the largest share of active mining licenses in the sector, with 587 licenses, followed by the Makkah region with 384, the Eastern region with 376, the Madinah region with 264, the Asir region with 214, the Tabuk region with 154, the Qassim region with 89, the Jazan region with 81, the Hail region with 69, the Najran region with 54, the Al Baha region with 39, the Northern Borders region with 27, and the Al-Jouf region with 27.
The mining investment system and its executive regulations define six types of mining licenses, including: exploration licenses covering all types of minerals for two years, extendable; exploration licenses for all types of minerals for five years for minerals of categories (A) and (B); licenses for category (C) minerals for one year; and general-purpose licenses related to mining or small mine licenses.
The system also defines exploitation licenses, including: mining licenses for minerals of categories (A) and (B), valid for up to 30 years, renewable or extendable; small mine licenses for minerals of categories (A) and (B), with a validity of up to 20 years; building material quarry licenses for category (C) minerals, valid for up to 10 years, extendable; and surplus mineral ore licenses for project sites or lands with private ownership.
The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources seeks to protect the mining sector and maximize its value in line with the goals of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program, aiming to make mining the third pillar of the national industry. The Ministry also works to exploit the Kingdom's vast mineral resources, which are spread across more than 5,300 sites, with an estimated value of about 5 trillion riyals.
