Saudi Arabia has discovered an estimated 110 million tonnes of ore containing high concentrations of rare earth minerals and promising quantities of uranium in the Madinah region, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman has announced.

The discovery was unveiled at the 70th Regular Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference and follows exploration and geological studies conducted at the Jabal Sayid project.

“Exploration and geological studies at the Jabal Sayid project in Madinah have revealed estimated resources of around 110 million tonnes of ore with high concentrations of rare earth minerals, especially the heavy elements, alongside promising concentrations of uranium,” he said at the IAEA General Conference.

The announcement comes months after Washington and Riyadh formalised a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Prince Abdulaziz on July 22.

The US Department of Energy said the agreements establish the legal foundation for a decades-long, multibillion-dollar partnership and provide US companies with greater access to Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear energy programme.

Cooperation gains momentum after US visit

Prince Abdulaziz said efforts to develop the Kingdom’s critical minerals and nuclear sectors accelerated following Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the United States in November 2025.

During the visit, Saudi Arabia and the US deepened cooperation on critical minerals and supply chains, including through a partnership between Saudi state mining company Maaden and US firm MP Materials.

The visit also resulted in a Strategic Framework for Cooperation on critical minerals, metals and uranium.

Under the framework, the US Department of Defense agreed to finance 49 per cent of a new rare earth processing plant in Saudi Arabia. Maaden is expected to hold a controlling 51 per cent stake, alongside MP Materials, which operates the only rare earth mine and processing plant in the US.

Jabal Sayid’s strategic importance

Located about 350km north-east of Jeddah in the Madinah region, Jabal Sayid is already regarded as one of Saudi Arabia’s most strategically significant rare earth deposits.

An analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), citing estimates from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and Maaden, said the site could rank fourth globally.

The estimates include around 552,000 tonnes of heavy rare earth elements such as dysprosium and terbium, as well as a further 355,000 tonnes of light rare earths, including neodymium and praseodymium.

The same analysis estimates that the site contains about 31,000 tonnes of uranium. The combination of rare earth and uranium resources could strengthen Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to develop a domestic nuclear fuel cycle and potentially supply materials to the US.

Separately, the Saudi Press Agency reported in November 2025 that the estimated value of the Kingdom’s rare earth element discoveries had reached $100 billion, up 90 per cent from 2018.

Studies by the Saudi Geological Survey have identified two advanced-stage exploration areas containing an estimated 644 million tonnes of mineral resources, further highlighting Saudi Arabia’s growing ambitions to develop its critical minerals sector.

Source: Arab News