Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources Inspects Beneficiary Projects Under Exploration Enablement Program
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources has conducted extensive field inspection visits to projects implemented by mining companies awarded under the first wave of the Exploration Enablement Program (EEP), marking a key milestone in advancing mineral discoveries in the Kingdom. The visits aimed to verify compliance with approved execution plans and to ensure achieving the program objectives are being achieved, including de-risking mineral exploration investments, increasing exploration spending, discovering new strategic mineral deposits and transferring technical knowledge to Saudi Arabia.
The field visits were led by Abdulrahman Al-Belushi, Deputy Minister for Mining Resources Management, accompanied by technical teams comprising ministry experts and representatives from Saudi Mining Services Company (ESNAD). The teams reviewed technical reports and exploration results at designated sites to ensure alignment with international standards and with the requirements on which funding approvals were based, as well as the progress of knowledge transfer from experts to junior technical staff.
The tour covered six strategic projects owned by companies qualified in the program’s first wave. These included AMAK’s Kutam and Al-Masane projects (gold and copper); Jabal Al-Sahabiyah project (gold and copper) operated by Royal Road Arabia; Maaden project clusters within the Nabitah South, Wadi Bidah, and Shayban mineral belts (gold and copper), and Ajlan & Moxico co-projects in Ar Rayn belt (gold, copper, and zinc). These projects span a total area of 4,000 km2.
These field visits reflect the Ministry’s commitment to upholding the highest standards of governance and transparency, and its dedication to ensuring that financial and technical support is directed effectively to accelerate the pace of mineral discoveries across the Kingdom.
They aim to expand the volume of geological data and enhance its reliability and quality, thereby reducing investment risks and strengthening the appeal of the Arabian Shield as a leading global mining destination. In addition, these efforts contribute to advancing technical expertise within the mining sector and transferring specialized mining knowledge to national talent, in alignment with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
The first wave of EEP qualified six companies were selected to implement 49 exploration projects. The program support and enable exploration activities valued at over SAR 229 million, covers drilling programs, lab testing geophysical and geochemical surveys. It also supports national capacity building by engaging 29 young Saudi professionals alongside 25 international experts across project activities. The ministry will begin the reimbursement process for the second wave by end of September this year.
The Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Investment, announced the launch of EEP Wave Three at the fifth edition of the Future Minerals Forum in January. It also confirmed that the application deadline for companies and explorers is March 31, 2026. This round offers a strategic support package that includes cash incentives covering 25 percent of eligible exploration expenditures and salary support for Saudi technical personnel of up to 100 percent. The program aims to accelerate exploration of Class A critical minerals and to make the resulting data publicly accessible through the National Geological Database by April 2027. This will help reduce early-stage investment risk and support the growth of the mining sector, identified as the third pillar of Saudi Arabia’s national economy.
For more information on EEP Wave Three and application procedures, please visit: https://taadeen.sa/en/exploration-enablement-program