Saudi Arabia is awaiting the results of a geophysical survey to detect mineral deposits and extract quantities of lithium metal, which is used in the manufacture of electric car batteries and others.
The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources said in statements to Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper that “there are several sites that studies have addressed, where quantities of lithium metal are available, but they need larger studies to determine more accurate numbers.”
She added, “Therefore, it is expected from the initiative of the General Program for Geological Survey and related exploration initiatives within the National Industrial Development and Logistics Services Program, that one of its extracts will be quantities of this mineral.”
The ministry launched the first geophysical survey aircraft last August in the Arabian Shield region, to obtain various high-resolution geological data, in addition to detecting mineral stocks In the region, announcing at the time the start of geophysical survey work.
The survey aims to obtain various high-resolution geological data for the Arabian Shield, in addition to detecting mineral deposits in the region. The National Center for Industrial Development, in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, is developing and evaluating several industrial projects distributed over the targeted industrial sectors, with an investment value exceeding 40 billion riyals.
The center believes that the automotive industry and its parts are among the promising industries that receive the attention of the leadership, and are also considered one of the pivotal industries that have a major role in supporting neighboring industries such as chemical and metal industries, stressing that due to the rapid changes and technological transformation that the automotive industry is going through in the world, the center works in cooperation With the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources to take advantage of this transformation and draw a strategic direction that will help localize car parts and parts in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has a competitive advantage, and seeks to exploit the vast mineral wealth, with access to a mineral deposit estimated at $1.3 trillion, which includes more than 15 commercially investable minerals.
Many important minerals are available in Saudi Arabia, such as phosphates, gold, copper, zinc, iron ore, uranium, niobium, silver, feldspar, bauxite, silica, limestone and others.