- Saudi Arabia found 110 million tons of ore containing uranium concentrations in the Madinah Al-Munawwarah region, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said at the IAEA General Conference in Vienna on September 14, 2026.
- The minister did not give the uranium grade in the ore, so it is not yet clear how much uranium can actually be taken from the rock.
- The find sits inside the Jabal Sayid mineral belt in the Arabian Shield, an area already known for copper and gold.
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said Saudi Arabia has found 110 million tons of ore containing uranium concentrations in the Madinah Al-Munawwarah region.
He shared the news during his speech at the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. The minister did not give the uranium grade in the ore, so it is not yet clear how much uranium can actually be taken from the rock.
Saudi Arabia is also working to pull uranium out as a byproduct of phosphate fertilizer production. Saudi Arabia is the world’s second-largest exporter of phosphate fertilizers.
The Madinah Al-Munawwarah region lies inside the Arabian Shield, an area rich in minerals. It includes the Jabal Sayid belt, already known for copper, gold, and other minerals, including uranium. Prince Abdulaziz had pointed to uranium in this belt before.
Earlier estimates put Saudi Arabia’s uranium resources at around 60,000 to 90,000 tons, based on earlier geological surveys that included work with China. The new find adds to these earlier estimates but does not yet give a commercially recoverable amount.
Where Uranium is used?
Uranium is mainly used because its atoms can release a very large amount of energy through nuclear fission.
Major uses include:
- Nuclear power plants
- Nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers
- Nuclear research reactors
- Medical applications
- Space power research
- Nuclear weapons
The Kingdom said it keeps building its national and regulatory systems for nuclear energy. Prince Abdulaziz said Saudi Arabia is not building its nuclear program away from the international community, and not “in the depths of mountains” — a reference to transparency and following international rules.
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