The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Saleh Kharabsheh, said on Saturday that the preliminary results of the exploration project for basic elements in the Samra al-Tayba area in Wadi Araba showed good concentrations of the elements (zinc, copper, lead and gold).

This came during Al-Kharabsheh’s inspection of the progress of the two projects (excavation for the main elements) in (Samra Al-Tayba), which is being implemented by the cadres of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, and the copper exploration project in Wadi Abu Khashiba, which is being implemented by the Turkish Solvest Company.

He said that these evidences are a strong indication of the presence of mineralization of sulphides of high economic value, stressing that work is still continuing to cover all the remaining ranges, which aim to determine the depth and concentrations of the elements targeted for the study.

Minister Kharabsheh explained that the project for prospecting for metallic elements and their ores in Samrat al-Taybeh / Bir Mathkour – Wadi Araba began in January 2023 in line with the strategic plan and vision of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, and to achieve the strategic goal of increasing investment in the mineral wealth sector.

Minister Kharabsheh said that some exploratory work gave very high concentrations. Pointing out that the exploratory work comes in implementation of the vision of economic modernization and the related work program, which indicated and defined the mining sector as one of the high-value sectors.

In this regard, he said, since the beginning of 2022, the ministry has signed 9 memorandums of understanding to explore for copper, gold, lithium, phosphates and rare earth elements. It is expected that the number of exploration areas will increase to 15 by the end of the year.

With regard to the exploration project of the Turkish company (Solvist) in the Abu Khushiba area, Minister Kharabsheh said that the company, after two weeks from now, will complete the feasibility study and submit it to the ministry.

Regarding the details of the exploration project in (Samra Al-Tayba), which is being implemented by the cadres of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Hisham Al-Zyoud, Director of Studies at the Ministry of Energy, said that the geochemical and exploration studies for the project target 25 km 2, and 10 trenches and exploratory sections have been dug, in addition to two proposed trenches that are underway and 3 exploratory wells. Pointing out that the analysis of all samples was carried out in the laboratories of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, except for the examination of gold ore, as it was sent to the Canadian laboratories of SGS in South Africa.

According to Al-Zyoud, more than 250 samples were collected since the launch of the project, where 81 rock samples were collected from the sections and trenches that were excavated, in addition to the samples collected from the Department of Geochemical Surveys, which amounted to 109 samples collected from the watersheds and the necessary analyzes were made for them. Receive the results of more than 200 samples.

For his part, Andrei Borisov, head of Solvest Company, said that the company submitted a preliminary economic feasibility study on copper ores in the Abu Khashaiba area, with capital and operating costs amounting to $480 million. Reserves exceed one million tons.

Since the beginning of last year 2022, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has signed a total of 9 memorandums of understanding to explore mineral resources in the Kingdom, including the memorandum for the exploration of rare earth elements in the Dabidib region in the south of the Kingdom signed with (New Environmental Elements Company) on January 12, 2022 on a land area of ​​​​2400 square meters. km square and for ten years. And the exploration of lithium in the Dead Sea tongue area signed with the Arab Mining Company in December 2022.

In April 2022, the Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with the Turkish Solvest Company to explore copper in Abu Khashiya, Wadi Araba, on a land area of ​​20 km2, and in Ghor Fifa, south of the Dead Sea, on a land area of ​​25 km, for a period of 12 months.

In June 2022, the Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with Solvest Company to explore gold in Wadi Abu Khashiba / Wadi Araba for a period of 14 months on a land area of ​​155 km.

And in the month of June 2022; The Ministry of Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with the Jordanian Integrated Mining Company to explore for copper in the Dana area on a land area of ​​78 square kilometers for a period of 16 months.

With the aim of developing a map to provide opportunities for investors wishing to invest in the field of mining, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources signed in April 2022 a memorandum of understanding with (Tanajus Company to own and establish commercial projects) for a period of 24 months to develop a map identifying the most important minerals that can be invested in.

In the same year, the ministry signed two memorandums of understanding to explore for lithium in (the Feynan area) on a land of 35 square kilometers and for gold in Jabal Mubarak, east of the city of Aqaba, on a land of 50 square kilometers, for a period of 12 months, with the Arab Mining Company.

Last April, the Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with the Arab Mining Company to exploit phosphate ore in the Risha region, east of the Kingdom.