Saudi Arabia Extends Deadline of the Pre-Qualification for Record-Sized Mineralized Belts, Invites Global Investors to Seize Opportunity

The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM) has extended the Pre-Qualification Questioners (PQQ) stage deadline for mineral exploration licenses to its largest mineralized belts, covering an expansive area of 4,788 km².
According to the ministry’s official spokesperson, Jarrah bin Mohammed Al-Jarrah, the deadline for submitting Pre-Qualification Questioners (PQQ) application was extended to accommodate additional investors and make the process more competitive.
Al-Jarrah stated that the tendering process for the mineral exploration licenses would be conducted with utmost transparency and through several stages, starting with the PQQ stage from October 7 to 31, 2024. This stage will be followed by an invitation for qualified bidders to submit technical work program proposals and social and environmental impact management plans in November 2024, with the final submission of proposals by December 21, 2024.
This process will culminate in the announcement of the winner and the grant of the exploration license in January 2025. This comprehensive approach is necessary due to the massive size of the exploration sites that are up for tendering.
The Ministry invites major local and international mining and exploration companies to take advantage of the deadline extension and participate in the Exploration Licensing Round of Jabal Sayad and Al-Hajjar mineralized belts.
Three exploration licenses are available at the Jabal Sayad mineralized belt, which covers 2,892 km². The belt has the potential to produce various commodities, such as copper, zinc, lead, gold, and silver.
There are two exploration licenses at the Al-Hajjar site in the Wadi Shwas VMS Belt, covering 1,896 km². The belt has the potential to produce different commodities, such as gold, silver, copper, and zinc.
Al-Jarrah reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to providing all geological data related to targeted belts on the electronic ‘Ta’adeen’ platform. This initiative aims to ensure equal opportunities among all bidders and is expected to boost spending on exploration in the Kingdom.
Interested investors are encouraged to visit the mining platform by visiting the following link:
https://taadeen.sa/en/mining-bids to learn more about the competition procedures and obtain necessary technical and geological reports for these sites.