By: AGBI

Saudi Arabia has launched an auction for mining exploration rights across three mineral-rich belts spanning 13,000 square kilometres.

The three belts are Ad Duwayhi, Sukhaybarat/Al-Safra and Al-Nuqrah, which contain gold, copper, silver, zinc and nickel, the industry and mineral resources ministry said.

Twenty sites advanced to the multi-round auction phase out of the 82 offered in the initial round, with participation from 11 local and global companies.

In June, the ministry said 24 local and international bidders had participated in the 10th round, which covered 13,000 square kilometres across five regions: Medina, Mecca, Riyadh, Qassim and Hail.

The General Authority for Statistics (Gastat) said last month that the country’s operating revenue index – a measure of cash generated by businesses – rose in April, with the strongest growth reported in mining and quarrying.

The number of mining and small-mine exploitation licences more than tripled year on year to 61 in 2025, Jarrah Aljarrah, a spokesman for the mineral resources ministry, said in February.

Investments in newly licensed projects exceeded SAR44 billion ($12 billion), covering the extraction of mineral resources, including gold and phosphate.