Jakarta, ThedailyID — Saudi Arabia claims it has identified an estimated 110 million tons of uranium-bearing ore in Madinah.
Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud announced the finding at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference in Vienna on Monday, September 14.
The estimate comes from geological exploration and studies at the Jabal Sayid site. The area also contains high concentrations of rare earth minerals, particularly heavy elements.
“Exploration and geological studies at the Jabal Sayid project in Madinah revealed estimated resources of around 110 million tons of ore with high concentrations of rare earth minerals, particularly heavy elements, alongside promising uranium concentrations,” Abdulaziz said, according to Reuters, Tuesday, September 15.
Saudi Arabia also has significant deposits of other minerals. These include gold, phosphate, zinc, bauxite, magnesium, rare earth elements and nickel.
The government plans to turn those natural resources into long-term economic and industrial value.
“The Kingdom is making every effort to maximize the benefits obtained from these resources and transform them from natural resources into sustainable economic and industrial value,” Abdulaziz said.
The uranium finding comes as Saudi Arabia advances its national atomic energy program. Abdulaziz said the program remains on track and emphasized transparency in the country’s nuclear activities.
“We are committed to transparency in all our nuclear energy development activities,” he said.
Saudi Arabia also sees nuclear power as an important part of its future energy mix. The country has been exploring nuclear energy as part of efforts to expand its energy sources.
The announcement came during the 70th IAEA General Conference, which runs from September 14 to 18 in Vienna, Austria.
