RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources has issued 38 new mining licenses during February 2026, as part of its efforts to develop the mining sector in the Kingdom and maximize its contribution to diversifying the national economy’s sources of income.
The official spokesperson for the ministry, Jarrah bin Mohammed Al-Jarrah, explained that the new mining licenses included 20 exploration licenses, nine building materials quarry licenses, seven survey licenses, and two mining exploitation licenses for a small mine, according to the report of the National Center for Industrial and Mining Information, affiliated with the ministry, on mining indicators for February 2026.
Al-Jarrah reported that the total number of valid mining licenses in the sector as of the end of February reached 2,963.
Building materials quarry licenses topped the list with 1,566 licenses, followed by exploration licenses with 1,036, then small-scale mining and quarrying licenses with 278, reconnaissance licenses with 75, and finally, licenses for surplus mineral ores with eight.
He noted that the Mining Investment Law and its implementing regulations specify six types of mining licenses. These include an exploration license, which covers all types of minerals for a two-year period and is renewable; a prospecting license for all types of minerals for a five-year period for minerals in categories A and B; a license for category C minerals for a one-year period; and a general-purpose license linked to a small-scale mining or quarrying license.
He added: “The system also specifies exploitation licenses, including a mining license for minerals of categories (A) and (B), with a license period not exceeding 30 years, renewable or extended; a small-scale mineral mine license for categories (A) and (B), with a license period not exceeding 20 years; and a building materials quarry license for category (C) minerals, with a license period of up to 10 years, renewable. The system also includes a license for surplus mineral ores at project sites or on privately owned land.”
