The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources has announced the 10th round of exploration license competitions across three mineralized belts covering a total area of 13,000 km².
These belts, abundant in strategic minerals such as gold, silver, copper, and zinc, are central to the ministry’s push to accelerate mineral exploration in Saudi Arabia, a sector valued at approximately $2.5 trillion (SAR 9.4 trillion).
The mineralized belts offered in this round span five regions in Saudi Arabia—Madinah, Makkah, Riyadh, Qassim, and Hail—and include new exploration sites that extend from belts offered in the Ninth Round: Nabithah/Ad Duwayhi (Dahlat Shabeb) Belt, which includes the Ad Duwayhi Mine with an annual production capacity of about 180,000 ounces of gold.
The Sukhaybarat/Al-Safra Belt is one of the most important mineralized belts containing gold, copper, silver, zinc, and nickel. It has undergone extensive exploration by the Saudi Geological Survey over the past decades.
The Saudi Arabia ministry explained that the prequalification stage for the new exploration sites will remain open until December 15, 2025. All geological and technical data for the sites have been made available on the Taadeen digital platform, including previous license reports and survey data, ensuring investors have access to the necessary information.
The ministry affirmed that this year’s exploration license competitions are fully automated, transparent, and fair for all investors. The process consists of three main phases:
Prequalification, which closes mid-December, requires both technical capability and financial solvency.
Site selection through the electronic competition platform, where qualified companies may choose from available areas through a grid-based GIS system.
Multi-round live auction, where companies compete based on exploration spending commitments for contested sites. This stage is planned for the first quarter of 2026, according to the statement.
The Saudi Arabia ministry emphasized that providing comprehensive geological data for the targeted belts through the Taadeen platform ensures equal access for all competitors, enhancing transparency and efficiency in exploration processes.
