Saudi Arabia discovers 110 million tonnes of Uranium-rich ore in Madinah region

Saudi ​Arabia has found 110 million ​tonnes ​of raw materials ⁠containing uranium ​concentrations ​in Medina, the energy ​minister of the kingdom announced at the ‌IAEA ⁠General Conference in Vienna, according to ​Saudi ​state ⁠TV ​on ​Monday (September). Prince Abdulaziz said that the Madinah find is part of Saudi Arabia's broader effort to attract greater investment into the kingdom's energy and mining sectors.

“The exploration and geological studies at the Jabal Sayid project in the Madinah region have revealed ore containing high concentrations of rare earth elements, particularly the heavy rare earth elements, alongside promising concentrations of uranium,” the prince, who took to the additional charge of Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources in July, said at the conference. “This positions the project among the most significant rare earth mineral resource sites currently under development globally.”

As the largest economy in the Arab world, Saudi Arabia has kept up its push to diversify its energy and mineral resources, building capabilities both domestically and through strong international partnerships, the minister was quoted as saying by Al Arabiya TV.