Saudi Arabia details 114m-tonne Madinah uranium-bearing resource

Saudi Arabia has identified approximately 114 million tonnes of mineralised ore at the Jabal Sayid project in Madinah, containing rare earth elements and promising uranium concentrations, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman announced at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conference in Vienna. This find is integral to Saudi Arabia's efforts to expand mineral development and build a civilian nuclear energy programme under international safeguards.

The estimate refers to the volume of ore, not the amount of recoverable uranium. Saudi authorities have not disclosed uranium grades, recoverable uranium amounts, or commercial extraction timelines, leaving the economic potential of the uranium component to further technical assessments. The resource places the project among the most significant rare earth sites currently under development globally.

Saudi Arabia's National Atomic Energy Project includes uranium resource exploration and economic evaluation, with the kingdom's nuclear programme pursued transparently and in accordance with international standards for peaceful purposes. Prince Abdulaziz affirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to working with the IAEA and international partners.

Additionally, Saudi Arabia is exploring uranium recovery from phosphoric acid produced during phosphate fertiliser manufacturing in the north of the country, with pilot work conducted alongside French nuclear fuel specialist Orano yielding promising results.