Saudi Arabia’s 110 Mt uranium ore find: resource and project lens for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Saudi Arabia has reported identifying about 110 million tonnes of uranium-bearing ore in the Medina region, with Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman saying exploration shows “high concentrations” of heavy rare earth elements alongside “promising” uranium grades. No uranium grade, contained metal estimate, mineralogy or recovery factors were disclosed, leaving the economic viability and potential production scale uncertain for now. The find coincides with a 30‑year US–Saudi civilian nuclear co‑operation deal that could permit domestic enrichment and follows C$710 million of Canada–Saudi commercial agreements.
Technical Brief
- Recovery is being evaluated as a byproduct of fertiliser production, implying phosphorite or phosphate-processing linkages.
- Ore is located in the Medina region, adding a new mineral province beyond existing Arabian Shield assets.
- “High concentrations” of heavy rare earth elements suggest potential dual uranium–REE flowsheet and tailings management complexity.
- Announcement was made at the IAEA 70th General Conference in Vienna, signalling alignment with international nuclear oversight.
- Agreement framework potentially permits uranium enrichment on Saudi territory, affecting future in‑country fuel-cycle integration.
- For mine planners, co‑product uranium–REE–fertiliser schemes will require integrated geometallurgy, residue characterisation and radiological controls from scoping.
Our Take
Uranium and rare earth minerals feature in only 41 keyword-matched pieces across our mining coverage, so Saudi Arabia’s Medina-region find places the kingdom alongside a relatively small group of jurisdictions being tracked for both nuclear fuel and critical magnet materials potential.
The presence of the IAEA in both this Saudi narrative and the DRC-focused related article from 2026-08-07 underscores how nuclear-governance bodies are increasingly intersecting with broader critical minerals supply chains, not just traditional uranium oversight.
With Saudi Arabia already a major oil and natural gas producer, the identification of uranium- and rare-earth-bearing ore suggests a strategic move to hedge long-term energy revenues by adding nuclear and critical minerals to its resource portfolio, which could alter regional bargaining power in Middle Eastern energy diplomacy.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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