Yellow cake gem mining in Saudi Arabia
Maha Mohammed Al-Sharif
A new mining era that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is entering into in all its activities, and the diversity of minerals to focus on, as it plans to produce yellow cake and enrich uranium, according to what was stated by Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Energy, with the aim of enhancing the added value of the impact of the mining sector, whose wealth is estimated at about 9.3. One trillion riyals. The interest in uranium comes due to its abundance and great economic and commercial feasibility.
As well as within the framework of developing its nuclear program and diversifying its energy sources by operating peaceful nuclear reactors, while emphasizing its commitment to all international standards in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, yellow cake is one of the products of the second step of producing uranium in its final form, and “yellow cake” is the form Concentrated uranium ore, known by this name because of its distinctive yellow color.
It is produced by removing impurities from uranium ore, turning it into a concentrated powder. Although yellowcake does not pose a significant radiation risk, it must be handled with care to ensure safety. What the Kingdom seeks through Vision 2030 is to diversify sources of income and production and employ all capabilities, the most important of which is mining wealth.
These days, the International Mining Conference is being held, which has become a maker of the global mining sector, with about 89 countries participating in it, including producers and consumers. The Kingdom seeks to be an international center for minerals, and to move to a new stage of metal manufacturing that generates great investment opportunities and quality job opportunities in the hundreds of thousands. The industry Mining is very important for the development of economies and societies in all aspects.
Saudi Arabia places itself on the map of the main countries in supply chains and minerals, which are the most important elements of the growth of the global economy, and with the great need for energy in the future, the Kingdom has the potential to be a producer and exporter of all types of energy and its capabilities, including yellow cake. In the speech in which the Minister of Energy, Prince Abdulaziz, explained Bin Salman: “Saudi Arabia will enrich, sell and produce yellow cake from uranium, during his participation in the “Iktva 2025” forum and exhibition in Dammam, and he added that the Kingdom will invest in minerals. Including uranium, and that Saudi gas arteries will spread east and west through the development of comprehensive infrastructure.
And developing a comprehensive vision for the gas sector and providing gas and hydrogen for industrial projects, to localize modern technologies, and we need a lot to localize industries, and the petrochemical sector is our most important content in the future.” Note that “we have a large stock of uranium in Saudi Arabia, and we want to benefit from it on the economic level. We do not want anyone to take our soil and transport it and realize its value, the industry that provides it, the industries associated with it, and the effects it carries, and benefit from it outside Saudi Arabia. We want jobs in Saudi Arabia, and we want industries in Saudi Arabia.” This was during previous statements by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel Al-Jubeir.
The mining sector is the third pillar in the Saudi industry after oil and petrochemicals, and it is moving at rapid steps and the growth rate is large and accelerating, and the Kingdom will be an essential pillar in the future of the mining industry and its trade globally.
