MADINA: Surveyors have discovered 15 sites of raw gold and precious metals in Al-Hinakiya and Al-Mahd in the province of Madina but excavations have been ruled out by mining investment law. The Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources requested permission from Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Majid Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Madina, to set up a committee to study the sites and verify whether they fell within the boundaries excluded by mining investment law. Representatives from 11 authorities, who completed at the end of last week a report seen by Okaz/Saudi Gazette, unanimously denied permission for investment due to the “presence of villages and settlements and pastureland at the sites of the discoveries”. The committee members represented various ministries and authorities and tourism, health and environment bodies. The denial of the request to invest at the sites follows disputes over mining operations at the Mahd Al-Dhahab mine in Madina and concerns over pollution to the surrounding environment. The company operating the Mahd Al-Dhahab mine had reportedly requested licensing from the Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources to operate at the 15 newly-discovered sites. The oil ministry and the Ministry of Electricity had been ordered by Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, to curb pollution at Mahd Al-Dhahab after he was presented with reports on the condition of ground soil in the area. Prince Abdul Aziz also contacted the Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources to ensure that the mining company was heeding environmental regulations. The Kingdom currently has three gold mines in operation: at Mahd Al-Dhahab; Al-Sukhairat, also in Madina, and at Al-Amar in Al-Quwai'iya in the province of Riyadh.
