Industry ministry opens auction for mining exploration in 3 new mineral belts

Logo of The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources 

The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources launched a multi-round public auction for mining exploration licenses in three new mineral belts across the Kingdom, covering a total area of 24,400 square kilometers. The auction will run from Sept. 1-12.

The ministry noted strong participation from both local and international companies, with 61 firms submitting bids. Of these, 31 offers—submitted by 23 companies and eight international-local alliances—qualified through the pre-qualification stage.

The auction includes three mineral belts located in Riyadh and Madinah: the Nuqrah Belt and the Sukhaybarat-As Safra Belt in Madinah, as well as the Ad Duwayhi-Nabitah Belt in Riyadh. These sites are rich in several precious and base metals, including gold, copper, silver, zinc, and nickel.

The ministry explained that the auction process consists of three main stages: pre-qualification, site selection via the electronic auction platform, and finally, the public auction stage for sites selected by multiple bidders that meet the necessary criteria.

The first stage of the multi-round public auction began on Sept. 1 for Ad Duwayhi-Nabitah Belt. Bidding is being conducted live and publicly through competitive exploration spending, with licenses for designated sites to be awarded by Sept. 12, 2025. The second stage, covering the Nuqrah Belt and Sukhaybarat-As Safra Belt, will start once the results of the Ad Duwayhi-Nabitah Belt auction are announced.

To ensure full transparency, the ministry confirmed that the auction is being broadcast live on its official YouTube channel.

Looking ahead, the Ministry of Industry plans to launch another round of mining exploration license auctions in Q4 2025, as part of its strategy to make more promising mining sites available to both local and international investors. The ministry invited interested parties to follow the “Taadeen” electronic platform for comprehensive details on upcoming auctions.