The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources announced the completion of the stage of receiving applications for pre-qualification for the "Al-Khunaiqiah" mining site in Al-Quway'iyah Governorate in the Riyadh region.

The ministry received 24 pre-qualification applications from international and local companies that are considered among the largest in the mining and exploration sector, and foreign companies represent 50% of the total companies.

The Ministry will announce the qualified competitors on March 29, while the transition to the second stage, which is the stage of submitting bids by qualified competitors.

The ministry explained that offering exploration licenses through competition will enable the Kingdom to identify the most appropriate partners in terms of performance and economic, environmental and societal impact. Mining sector, to be the third pillar of the national industry.

It is noteworthy that the ministry announced the launch of a license for exploration through competition at the Al-Khunaiqiah site in the Al-Quway’iyah Governorate in the Riyadh region early this year, which contains: zinc and copper ores, as part of the “Accelerated Exploration Program” initiative, as this competition is a qualitative leap towards the journey of resource exploitation. The huge mineral in the kingdom.