Egypt to Benefit from Mining in the Golden Triangle

Discussions between the concerned ministries to develop the Golden Triangle region in Egypt (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Discussions between the concerned ministries to develop the Golden Triangle region in Egypt (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
20

Egypt to Benefit from Mining in the Golden Triangle

Discussions between the concerned ministries to develop the Golden Triangle region in Egypt (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Discussions between the concerned ministries to develop the Golden Triangle region in Egypt (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Egyptian Minister of Petroleum Tarek El-Molla has said that the development of the Golden Triangle region requires the participation of all sectors to attract foreign and domestic investments.

The Golden Triangle project is one of the major mining projects intended to be established between Qena, Safaga, and al-Qusayr. Its area is over 7,000 square kilometers.

It includes tourism, mining, agricultural, industrial, and commercial projects amid expectations of providing about half a million job opportunities in five years.

The area is rich in mining sources that make up 75 percent of Egypt's minerals, including metallic and non-metallic minerals, iron, copper, gold, silver, granite, and phosphate.

Molla chaired a workshop for coordination between the mining and the industrial sectors to explore investment opportunities at the economic zone in the Golden Triangle area.

The minister stressed the importance of increasing the efficiency of the infrastructure and achieving possible benefits from the mining resources, which can be one of the primary resources of added value to the national economy.

The meeting also reviewed the strategy of the Egyptian mining sector, the investment map for the mining sector until 2040, the ministry's vision to develop the Golden Triangle, and maximizing its revenues.

Also, the workshop witnessed agreement on the importance of emphasizing the mining reserves, noting that the last international bids posted by the ministry had activated the mining exploration and discovery operations in the promising area.

At the end of the meeting, Molla highlighted the importance of welcoming all feasible ideas and agreeing on a roadmap to develop the Triangle.

He also called for providing the necessary human cadres and building their capabilities to actively attract investments.

The minister pointed to the importance of the Environment Ministry's participation in the development project in light of the vital role of environmental compatibility regarding luring investments.

He directed officials to work on a dialogue based on the strengths that characterize the region to accelerate the development of outputs that enable the sustainability of work and growth.



Oil Prices Spike after US Strikes on Iran

FILE PHOTO: A view shows an oil pump jack outside Almetyevsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, June 4, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A view shows an oil pump jack outside Almetyevsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, June 4, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
TT
20

Oil Prices Spike after US Strikes on Iran

FILE PHOTO: A view shows an oil pump jack outside Almetyevsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, June 4, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A view shows an oil pump jack outside Almetyevsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, June 4, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo

Oil prices surged and Asian markets traded lower on Monday on concerns of disruption to energy markets after US air strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.

The dollar strengthened as traders assessed the weekend's events, with Iran threatening US bases in the Middle East as fears grow of an escalating conflict in the volatile region.

Iran is the world's ninth-biggest oil-producing country, with output of about 3.3 million barrels per day.

It exports just under half of that amount and keeps the rest for domestic consumption.

If Tehran decides to retaliate, observers say one of its options would be to seek to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz -- which carries one-fifth of global oil output.

When trading opened on Monday, Brent and the main US crude contract WTI both jumped more than four percent to hit their highest price since January.

They pared these gains however and later in the morning Brent was up 2.1 percent at $75.43 per barrel and WTI was 2.1 percent higher at $78.64.

Economists at MUFG warned of "high uncertainty of the outcomes and duration of this war", publishing a "scenario analysis" of an oil price increase of $10 per barrel.

"An oil price shock would create a real negative impact on most Asian economies" as many are big net energy importers, they wrote, reflecting the market's downbeat mood.

Tokyo's key Nikkei index was down 0.6 percent at the break, with Hong Kong losing 0.4 percent and Shanghai flat. Seoul fell 0.7 percent and Sydney was 0.8 percent lower.

'Extreme route'

The dollar's value rose against other currencies but analysts questioned to what extent this would hold out.

"If the increase proves to be just a knee-jerk reaction to what is perceived as short-lived US involvement in the Middle-East conflict, the dollar's downward path is likely to resume," said Sebastian Boyd, markets live blog strategist at Bloomberg.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday that the strikes had "devastated the Iranian nuclear program", though some officials cautioned that the extent of the damage was unclear.

It comes after Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran earlier this month.

Chris Weston at Pepperstone said Iran would be able to inflict economic damage on the world without taking the "extreme route" of trying to close the Strait of Hormuz.

"By planting enough belief that they could disrupt this key logistical channel, maritime costs could rise to the point that it would have a significant impact on the supply of crude and gas," he wrote.

At the same time, "while Trump's primary focus will be on the Middle East, headlines on trade negotiations could soon start to roll in and market anxieties could feasibly build".