The development of the mining industry would contribute to the growing Saudi economy despite the challenges ahead, said President and CEO of Ma'aden (Saudi Arabian Mining Company), Abdullah E. Dabbagh. The main focus of the One of the challenges is in ensuring sustainable mining he said. Gold mining for instance relies on drilling deep into layers of sediment in mines however the friction of the drills with the rocks causes any equipment to overheat quickly. To counteract this heat, drilling equipment is constantly cooled water in order to reduce the chances of the drill shattering to bits. Consequently, mining is water-intensive, a practice which in the desert can be problematic. “We are reusing our water and using it sparingly. In some places it is difficult to get water so we don't do mining,” he said. “We have 10 million ounces of confirmed gold resources, which will be developed into mines over the next five years. We are developing a mega project in this sector where we will have a gold city for the processing of mineral deposits,” he added. The first part of the International Exhibition and Forum for Mineral Exploration and Applications (MENA-EX), held at the Jeddah Hilton, was ensuring sustainable development of the mining industry. “Mining is a new industry, the third pillar of diversification in the Kingdom,” said Oliver Cornock, regional editor, GCC for the Oxford Business Group (OBG) which moderated the panel on sustainable mining development. “It is really good news that Ma'aden has shown such a commitment to environmental care.” Cornock said the mining industry started just under 12 years ago and five gold mines have been developed in that time. Two mega-projects are in development, one dealing with phosphates and the other in aluminum, Dabbagh said. The phosphate complex will be the largest fertilizer complex ever built, producing about 2.9 million tons of diamonium phosphate at the lowest cost. “We look forward to cooperation from international companies in the mining sector and mining services,” he said. The phosphate project is a joint venture with Sabic (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) with 70 percent being built by Ma?aden and 30 percent by Sabic. The aluminum plant is scheduled to be operational by 2015. Dabbagh said that without the new railway networks the mega-projects would not be possible because of the amount of material which needs to be transported to the facilities.
