Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources issued 23 new mining licenses in January 2025 as part of its efforts to develop the mining sector in the Kingdom and maximize its contribution to diversifying the national economy. The licenses included 10 for building materials quarries, 8 for exploration, and 5 for small mining and quarrying operations, according to a report from the ministry’s National Center for Industrial and Mining Information on the mining indicators of January 2025.
The total number of active mining licenses in the sector until the end of January reached 2,405 licenses. Building material quarries led with 1,485 licenses, followed by exploration licenses with 643, small mining and quarrying licenses with 220, survey licenses with 39, and mineral surplus licenses with 18. The mining investment system and its executive regulations define 6 types of mining licenses, including exploration licenses covering all types of minerals for a non-renewable two-year period, exploration licenses for all types of minerals from categories “A” and “B” for a five-year period, and category “C” mineral licenses for a one-year period. There are also general purpose licenses linked to mining or small quarry licenses.
The regulations also specify exploitation licenses, including mining licenses for category “A” and “B” minerals, with a license period not exceeding 30 years renewable or extendable, small quarry licenses for category “A” and “B” minerals with a license period not exceeding 20 years, and building material quarry licenses for category “C” minerals with a license period of up to 10 years extendable. Additionally, the regulations include mineral surplus licenses for project sites or privately owned lands.
The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources aims to protect the Saudi mining sector, maximize its value according to the objectives of Vision 2030, and transform it into the third pillar of the national industry. The Kingdom’s mineral resources, spread across more than 5,300 sites valued at approximately 9.3 trillion riyals, will be utilized to achieve these goals.
