RIYADH, 24 May — Saudi Arabia has discovered new silica deposits estimated at millions of tons in the northern region of Tabuk, Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Al-Naimi announced yesterday.
“The deposits of silica sand are estimated at several million tons. They stretch over more than 40 kilometers (25 miles),” he told the official Saudi Press Agency.
Silica is used in the manufacture of glass, ceramics and abrasives, and in the chemical, electronic and construction industries. The Kingdom’s annual needs of silica amount to 600,000 tons.
Al-Naimi said the new discovery would help support a number of intermediate and downstream industries in the country including those of fiberglass, contact lens and computer chip. “The new deposits will help cut the cost of supplying silica for Saudi industries. It will also lead to the economic and social development of the Tabuk region and provide more jobs for Saudis,” the minister said.
He commended the role played by the Saudi Geological Survey in the new discoveries and in boosting the county’s mining sector. He said the SGS was preparing a detailed map of the new silica deposit located south of Tima in the Tabuk region.
The deposits contain high quality silica with a concentration of between 99.6 percent and 97 percent of silica oxide. Al-Naimi said his ministry would float the project for investment by mining companies.
