January 6th - The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Dr. Saleh Al-Kharabsheh, visits today, Saturday, the mining and exploration projects for mineral resources implemented by the Ministry in the south of the Kingdom.
During the tour at Samra Taiba project in the Araba region, the Minister Al-Kharabsheh briefed on geochemical surveys, drilling wells, methods for collecting rock samples, and methods for preparing chemical analyzes aimed at determining the types of mineralization of basic metal ores in the region and the accompanying minerals of lead, lithium, zinc, and rare earth elements.
The Director of Natural Resources Studies at the Ministry, Hisham Al-Zyoud, reviewed the progress of work and preliminary results in the exploration operations and the timetable for the project, which is being implemented by the Ministry’s cadres in the directorate through the exploration, surveying and automated drilling departments, and within the mining exploration program.
The Minister D. Saleh AL- Kharabsheh also carried out a visitation to see the readiness of the Bir Mathkur Square Center in the Wadi Araba region, 12 km from the mining project site, where the center was equipped with the necessary requirements to enable it to provide logistical and technical services to workers in the project.
During the visitation, the Minister listened to a detailed explanation provided by the Head of the Exploration Department, Engineer Moatasem Hawamdeh, and the Head of the Geochemical Survey Department, Dr. Ahmed Gharaibeh, about the work procedures in the project and the main detailed results of the most important mineral anomalies of lithium, zinc, lead, and rare earth elements.
The technical team reviewed the most important results of the mineral anomalies targeted in the project, which showed zinc levels reaching a maximum of 2,380 grams per ton, lead levels reaching a maximum of 547.7 grams per ton, while lithium levels reached 393.4 grams per ton.
The technical staff confirmed that there was an increase in the results within acceptable percentages for elements such as Cu, Ni, V, Sr, Cr, Cs, Ba, Sn, and Y, and they indicated that within the geochemical survey program, the results for zinc showed levels within 1300 grams per ton, while the results for lead were close to Levels of 120 grams/ton in valley sediment samples. Concentrations of the rare earth elements selenium showed levels around 82 grams/ton and dysparcium levels around 130 grams/ton.
The Minister D. Saleh AL- Kharabsheh praised the efforts made by the Ministry’s technical and exploratory cadres in exploiting and maximizing local energies and capabilities in providing the mining sector with a high added value and highlighting the national wealth and investment opportunities available in the energy sector, which would restore momentum to the mining sector and encourage local and foreign companies to invest in the sector.
It should be noted that the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources launched a prospecting and mining exploration project in the southern regions of the Kingdom at the beginning of the year 2022 within the packages of the national mining program in the Kingdom, which resulted the signing of fourteen memorandums of understanding and cooperation. The project comes as a continuation of previous geological and geochemical survey programs that identified many Hopeful locations for strategic and precious raw materials in south of the Kingdom and Wadi Araba.
The interest in the mining sector comes as it is a sector classified within the motivation of high-value industries in the vision of economic modernization, which aims to develop Jordan to be a center for industry in the region by supplying rapidly growing exports with distinguished and high-value products.
During the visitation , the Minister D. Saleh AL- Kharabsheh also reviewed the progress of work in implementing Bid No. 20/M/Ashghal/2023 for drilling exploratory wells in south of Wadi Abu Khashiba, which is being implemented by a local company that aims to drill a group of deep wells to explore for copper and gold ores in areas that have never been done before. Exploring it in advance, in line with the vision of economic modernization and within the Ministry’s strategic goal of increasing investment in the mineral resources sector by implementing a group of exploratory and prospecting works to study the locations of mineral ores within the best international practices and standards.
The Minister D. Saleh AL- Kharabsheh was accompanied during the visitation by the Director of Natural Resources Studies, Hisham Al-Zyoud, the Head of the Exploratory Studies Department, Moatasem Hawamdeh, the Head of the Geochemical Survey Department, Dr. Ahmed Gharaibeh, and the Head of the Drilling Department, Eng. Muhammad Abu Kishk.