Bauxite, aluminum classified among strategic, critical minerals: Almudaifer

Khalid Almudaifer, Vice Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources

The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources classified bauxite and aluminum among its strategic and critical minerals, given their significance in the transition to clean energy, said Khalid Almudaifer, Vice Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources.

He told Arab International Aluminum Conference (ARABAL) that aluminum is used in countless industries, including transportation, construction, and food packaging. It is also used in the global energy transformation industries, such as electric vehicles, renewable energy sources, and energy storage systems.

Through the mining strategy, the Kingdom seeks to achieve ambitious goals by 2030, including doubling the production capacity of bauxite, quadrupling the aluminum production, and tripling the primary aluminum production.

This aims to raise the Kingdom’s ranking as one of the top 10 aluminum producers in the world.

Global demand for aluminum is expected to rise by 20-30% in 2030, which will boost demand growth in all industrial sectors. This indicates that aluminum will be one of the strategic metals for future industries, Almudaifer said.