Mining, Manufacturing Activities Drive a Leap in Saudi Industry Growth

The Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources visits Al-Khunaiqiah Mining Site in Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources visits Al-Khunaiqiah Mining Site in Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Mining, Manufacturing Activities Drive a Leap in Saudi Industry Growth

The Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources visits Al-Khunaiqiah Mining Site in Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources visits Al-Khunaiqiah Mining Site in Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) has launched a program to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the field of innovation, with the aim of developing the industry sector in the Kingdom.

The joint program was launched in cooperation with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), within the framework of the memorandum of understanding signed by the two parties at the end of 2019, to support and implement research projects that contribute to Saudi Arabia’s industrial development.

Qusai Al-Abdulkarim, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at MODON, said that the joint program was launched in 2021 in two phases and fell within a strategy to empower the industry, increase the content and establish integrated partnerships with the public and private sectors, in line with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the MODON initiatives to diversify the national economy and consolidate concepts of sustainable development.

Meanwhile, the monthly bulletin issued by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) revealed that Saudi Arabia’s industrial production index (IPI) has increased by 26.7% compared to the same period last year.

The IPI continued to show positive growth rates due to the high production in mining, quarrying, and manufacturing activity, it stated.

The mining and quarrying grew in April by 28.3% compared to the previous year, while the manufacturing activity rose by 25.1% compared to 2021. The electricity and gas supplies decreased by 2%, it stated.

According to the report, the overall index increased by 0.5% compared to March 2022. Mining and quarrying showed a month-on-month growth rate of 1.3%. The manufacturing sector decreased by 2.0%, electricity and gas supplies increased by 2.1%, it added.



Japan Plans 'World First' Deep-sea Mineral Extraction

The Chikyu, pictured here in 2013, will drill around the remote island of Minami Torishima. TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / AFP/File
The Chikyu, pictured here in 2013, will drill around the remote island of Minami Torishima. TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / AFP/File
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Japan Plans 'World First' Deep-sea Mineral Extraction

The Chikyu, pictured here in 2013, will drill around the remote island of Minami Torishima. TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / AFP/File
The Chikyu, pictured here in 2013, will drill around the remote island of Minami Torishima. TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / AFP/File

Japan will from January attempt to extract rare earth minerals from the ocean floor in the deepest trial of its kind, the director of a government innovation program said Thursday.

Earlier this week the country pledged to work with the United States, India and Australia to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals, as concern grows over China's dominance in resources vital to new technologies.

Rare earths -- 17 metals difficult to extract from the Earth's crust -- are used in everything from electric vehicles to hard drives, wind turbines and missiles.

China accounts for almost two-thirds of rare earth mining production and 92 percent of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency.

A Japanese deep-sea scientific drilling boat called the Chikyu will from January conduct a "test cruise" to retrieve ocean floor sediments that contain rare earth elements, said Shoichi Ishii, director of Japan's Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program.

"The test to retrieve the sediments from 5,500 meters (3.4 miles) water depth is the first in the world," he told AFP.

"Our goal... of this cruise is to test the function of all mining equipment," so the amount of sediment extracted "doesn't matter at all", Ishii added.

The Chikyu will drill in Japanese economic waters around the remote island of Minami Torishima in the Pacific -- the easternmost point of Japan, also used as a military base.

Japan's Nikkei business daily reported that the mission aims to extract 35 tons of mud from the sea floor over around three weeks.

Each ton is expected to contain around two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of rare earth minerals, which are often used to make magnets that are essential in modern electronics.

Deep-sea mining has become a geopolitical flashpoint, with anxiety growing over a push by US President Donald Trump to fast-track the practice in international waters.

Beijing has since April required licenses to export rare earths from China, a move seen as retaliation for US curbs on the import of Chinese goods.

Environmental campaigners warn that deep-sea mining threatens marine ecosystems and will disrupt the sea floor.

The International Seabed Authority, which has jurisdiction over the ocean floor outside national waters, is meeting later this month to discuss a global code to regulate mining in the ocean depths.