Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources concluded its ninth exploration licensing round and published the names of the winners. The ministry said 24 companies and consortia won licences. The round awarded 172 mining sites and was described as the largest in the kingdom’s history to date. Coverage also said the round covers 24,000 square kilometers. The ministry framed the round around investment commitments aimed at developing underexplored greenfield areas and strengthening the resilience of mineral supply chains.
A central rationale in the official messaging is the kingdom’s estimated mineral wealth of SAR9.4 trillion ($2.5 trillion). Multiple reports repeated that figure as the headline value the licensing model is designed to help unlock. Separately, a Reuters report described a bidding round for three mineral exploration licences across a 13,000 square km area and tied that effort to deposits estimated at 9.4 trillion riyals ($2.50 trillion). Together, the reporting shows a consistent focus on exploration-led growth, even across different auction scopes.
Who Won What: The Mix of New Consortia and International Names
The ministry’s winner list highlights several newly formed consortia as part of the ninth round’s outcome. Named groups included Demir Engineering, Dahrouge Geological Consulting and Kaz United Mining Consortium; Kenz Global Resources and Manahil Al Sharq Mining and Al Rayyan Mining Resources Company Consortium; Maaden Barrick Technology Experts and Andiamo Exploration; Shandong Gold (Beijing) Industrial Investment and Ajlan & Bros Company for Mining; Midana Exploration and Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) Consortium; and McEwen Mining and Sumou Holding Company Consortium. The ministry also cited leading international companies among the winners, reinforcing the breadth of participation.
International and regional names listed by the ministry included Desert EX Private Limited; Batin Alard for Gold Company; Royal Roads Arabia Company; Sierra Nevada Gold; Aurum Global Group; Brunswick Exploration Incorporated; Eqleed-Indotan Mining Company; Helderberg Limited Company; Rawafed Alola for Mining Company; Saudi Gold Refinery Limited Company; Arabian Discovery Mining Company; Al Ghazal Al Arabi Mining Company; Almasar Minerals Holding Limited Company; Al Tasnim Enterprises; and Arabian Gulf Skylark. Additional names referenced included the Distinguished Consortium Mining Company, Two Limited Company, and Maaden Ivanhoe Electric Exploration and Development Limited Company.
Earlier, in September 2025, the ministry announced a multi-round auction outcome tied to exploration spending for 25 sites in the Nabitah-Ad Duwayhi Belt in the Makkah Region. It said nine local and international companies and consortia won those licences and committed over SAR156 million in exploration spend. The ministry also said competition for an additional 10 sites in the same belt would resume from September 16 to 18, with final results to follow after regulatory procedures. It further noted one site (ND26) was suspended after bids reached levels deemed practically unfeasible.
For readers tracking the ninth Saudi mining licensing round results, the key takeaway is scale and breadth. The ninth round combined 172 awarded mining sites with 24 named winners and a stated footprint of 24,000 square kilometers. The ministry linked this momentum to the SAR9.4 trillion ($2.5 trillion) mineral wealth estimate and to greenfield development goals. While reports list many winners, they do not publish how many sites each winner received, so the clearest “who won what” picture today is the official roster of licensed companies and consortia.
What are the ninth Saudi mining licensing round results?
How large was the ninth licensing round footprint?
Which consortia were named as winners in the ninth round?
What mineral wealth figure did the ministry cite in connection with licensing rounds?
