Saudi Arabia, Finland to Establish 1st Joint Business Council

Part of the Saudi-Finnish joint business forum in Helsinki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Part of the Saudi-Finnish joint business forum in Helsinki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia, Finland to Establish 1st Joint Business Council

Part of the Saudi-Finnish joint business forum in Helsinki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Part of the Saudi-Finnish joint business forum in Helsinki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Federation of Saudi Chambers and the Finland Chamber of Commerce signed on Friday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Helsinki to establish a joint Saudi-Finnish Business Council.

Under the MoU, the Council will carry out commercial and promotional activities systematically in the field of trade and investment, while focusing on the targeted sectors in the economic cooperation agenda.

It will also focus on developing new areas of economic cooperation, promoting links between the Saudi and Finnish business sectors and exchanging information on available markets and investment opportunities.

The Federation also signed an MoU with the government program, Business Finland, which is specialized in financing and promoting trade and investment in Finland.

The MoU seeks to ensure bilateral cooperation in the field of promoting bilateral trade and investment, particularly in technology, digitalization, energy, circular economy, mining, transport and logistics services, health care and water sectors.

The agreements are expected to reflect positively on the role played by the two countries’ business sectors and increase their joint economic activities in a way that supports the development of their trade exchanges.

Meanwhile, a delegation of 27 representatives of Saudi companies in various economic sectors held intensive talks and meetings with the Finnish business sector to explore the available trade and investment cooperation opportunities and establish commercial partnerships.

The volume of trade exchange between the Kingdom and Finland amounted to about SAR1.9 billion in 2021, of which SAR37 million ($10 million) are Saudi exports.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the General Authority for Foreign Trade Dr. Majid al-Qasabi has recently underscored the importance of bolstering economic partnership and expanding and diversifying bilateral trade, which is estimated at $645 million annually.

He also called for benefiting from Finland’s leadership in research and development, education and training, start-ups, innovation and other sectors.

Qasabi arrived in Helsinki heading a high-level Saudi delegation to participate in the activities of the forum organized by the Business Finland program, in cooperation with the Federation of Saudi Chambers.

He said that since Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s economy has been transforming into a global commercial and logistical hub by taking advantage of its geographic location and potentials that are currently being developed in light of the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services.



Aramco Plans Transition Minerals Joint Venture with Ma'aden

 The proposed JV would focus on energy transition minerals, including extracting lithium from high-concentration deposits and advancing cost-effective direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies - File Photo
The proposed JV would focus on energy transition minerals, including extracting lithium from high-concentration deposits and advancing cost-effective direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies - File Photo
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Aramco Plans Transition Minerals Joint Venture with Ma'aden

 The proposed JV would focus on energy transition minerals, including extracting lithium from high-concentration deposits and advancing cost-effective direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies - File Photo
The proposed JV would focus on energy transition minerals, including extracting lithium from high-concentration deposits and advancing cost-effective direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies - File Photo

Aramco, one of the world's leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, and Ma'aden, the largest multi-commodity mining and metals company in the Middle East and North Africa region, announced on Wednesday the signing of non-binding Heads of Terms, which envisages the formation of a minerals exploration and mining joint venture (JV) in Saudi Arabia.
According to a press release, the proposed JV would focus on energy transition minerals, including extracting lithium from high-concentration deposits and advancing cost-effective direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies. Commercial lithium production is likely to commence by 2027.
This JV is expected to extend Aramco's capabilities into an adjacent sector, leveraging its technological innovation resource and data management skills. It would seek to unlock the potential of the Kingdom's high-value mineral resources, with the aim of helping meet the growing demand for lithium and other transition minerals both domestically and globally. The JV is expected to harness natural resources utilizing a wealth of subsurface data and emerging technologies to advance the Kingdom's economic diversification and energy ambitions, according to SPA.
The statements also added that there is significant potential for the extraction of energy transition minerals in the Kingdom. For example, Aramco has identified several areas with a high lithium concentration of up to 400 parts per million as part of its operations. The JV will benefit from Aramco's expertise and operations, including the use of existing infrastructure, industry-leading drilling operations, and more than 90 years of geological data in its area of operations.
Aramco Upstream President Nasir K. Al-Naimi said, "This announcement reflects Aramco's focus on positively contributing to the global energy transition. The proposed JV will enable the extraction of energy transition minerals, contributing to the growth of more sustainable energy solutions while diversifying our portfolio for a lower-carbon future. We expect that this partnership will leverage the world's leading upstream enterprise to apply significant low-cost advantages, industry experience, technological innovation, accumulated subsurface knowledge and an integrated supply chain ecosystem, with a view to meeting the Kingdom and potentially the world's projected lithium demand."
Ma'aden Senior Vice President of Exploration Darryl Clark stated, "Ma'aden has been undertaking one of the world's largest single-jurisdiction exploration programs across the Arabian Shield to unearth the estimated $2.5 trillion mineral endowment. This proposed JV would enable us to accelerate exploration of the Arabian Platform, combining Aramco's knowledge of the area with Ma'aden's mining and exploration expertise."
Lithium is a fundamental component of the energy transition, essential for production in fast-growing sectors such as electric vehicles, energy storage, and renewables. The global demand for lithium has tripled over the past five years, and its compound annual growth rate is anticipated to exceed 15% annually through 2035. The JV could help meet the Kingdom's forecasted demand for lithium, which is expected to grow twenty-fold between 2024 and 2030, supporting an estimated 500,000 electric vehicle batteries and 110 GW of renewables.
The planned JV, which is subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals, was announced during the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh.