Kharabsheh reviews progress of mineral exploration projects

AMMAN — Tracking mineral exploration in the Kingdom, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh on Saturday inspected a number of projects in Wadi Araba.

During the field visit, which included sites in Wadi Abu Khashiba and Sumrat Al Tibah, the minister said that “The ministry’s exploration project in Sumrat Al Tibah comes in line with the ministry’s vision and strategic objectives,” noting that initial results have shown the mineral content in the area to be “in good concentrations”.

Kharabsheh noted that ongoing efforts correspond with the goals outlined in Jordan’s Economic Modernisation Vision, which attaches particular significance to expanding the mining industry to attract top companies in the field.

“The Ministry’s exploration project in the Sumrat Al Tibah area was initiated at the beginning of the current year, and initial indicators show that there are various minerals, including cooper, gold, lead and zinc, in the area,” ministry spokesperson Mashhoor Abu Eid told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

So far, ministry cadres have taken 250 samples, and results of 200 samples have been returned, according to Kharabsheh. 

“Some of the samples have shown excellent results,” he said, adding that the number of exploration sites is expected to surge, reaching 15 locations by the end of 2023.

Director of Studies at the Ministry of Energy Hisham Zyoud noted in a ministry statement that all samples were analyaed in the ministry's laboratories, except for gold ore inspections performed by Canadian SGS laboratories in South Africa.

The exploration process is ongoing, and encompasses a range of activities including mapping, surveying and interpreting data and samples, according to Kharabsheh.

The copper exploration project in Wadi Abu Khashiba area is being implemented by the Solvest Investment Solutions, a Turkish exploration company. Solvest commenced its work on the project in June 2022, following the signing of an agreement with the ministry.

In a ministerial statement sent to The Jordan Times, President of Solvest Investment Solutions, Andrew Borisov, said that the company has conducted its initial feasibility study for the copper exploration project in Abu Khashibeh, with capital and operational costs of $480 million. Current findings have shown that there are mineral reserves amounting to almost 117,000 tonnes, according to the statement.

“Two weeks from now, Solvest is to provide a detailed economic feasibility study to the ministry, after which we would have an executive agreement,” the minister revealed.

Since early 2022, the ministry has signed nine MoUs to carry out the exploration of copper, gold, lead and phosphate deposits across various locations of the Kingdom.