Aramco, Maaden Launch Minerals Exploration Venture

Saudi Aramco and the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) have established a joint venture to explore minerals and hard-rock resources across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two companies signed a shareholders' agreement on 18 August 2026 to formally create the new entity, with Maaden holding 51% and Aramco holding 49%.

The venture will focus primarily on copper exploration, alongside zinc, lead, and rare earth elements — all classified as energy transition minerals. The exploration effort targets Zone-4, known as the Transition Zone, within the Arabian Platform, which runs parallel to the Arabian Shield.

The designated area is substantial. It spans roughly 182,000 square kilometers — close to 10% of Saudi Arabia's total land area — laid out in a zone about 100 kilometers wide. This makes it one of the largest mineral exploration undertakings in the country.

The joint venture builds on non-binding heads of terms first disclosed in January 2025 for a Saudi-based minerals exploration and mining project centered on energy transition minerals, including lithium. The planned path runs through exploration and development phases, with the goal of reaching commercial-scale production of energy transition minerals — lithium among them — by around 2027.

Why it matters

Developing local sources of copper, lithium, and rare earths supports the Kingdom's wider ambitions to diversify the economy and build up its mining sector as a pillar of future industry. These minerals are essential inputs for electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and modern manufacturing, meaning stronger domestic supply could open new industrial and job opportunities over time.

As of 18 August 2026, no public fees, service charges, or citizen or expat procedural steps through government e-services are tied to this joint venture. It is a corporate mining and exploration project, and there are no announced actions residents need to take.

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