Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources announced on Wednesday that it has prequalified 13 bidders for Umm Ad Damar Exploration License.

The prequalification round was launched on 25 May.

The Umm al-Damar site covers an area of ​​more than 40 square kilometres (sq km) and includes copper, zinc, gold and silver deposits.

The prequalified companies, according to a press statement issued by the Ministry, are:

  1. African Rainbow Minerals (ARM)
  2. Abdul Rahman Saad Al-Rashed and Sons Company (ARTAR)
  3. Barrick Gold T7
  4. ERG Arabia
  5. Moxico Resources & Ajlan & Bros. Mining Company consortium
  6. Yilmaden Holding
  7. Yancoal Australia 
  8. UDS Golden Group Company,
  9. Saudi Alara Ventures Company
  10. Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden)
  11. AMAK (Al Masane Al Kobra Mining Company)
  12. Vedanta
  13. Norin Mining Company

The prequalified bidders have to submit their proposals by October 2022.

Umm Ad Damar has an expected investment size of 2 billion Saudi riyals ($533 million) and is expected to generate around 4,000 jobs, according to the project brochure available on the Ministry's mining portal.

(Writing by Eman Hamed; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)