Saudi Arabia Strikes Lithium Jackpot: A New Era of ‘White Gold’ for the Kingdom

NEWS CHARIOT (Delhi,Dec.20) : In a significant development, Saudi Arabia has discovered abundant lithium reserves, marking a new chapter in its economic diversification. The country, long known for its vast oil reserves, has now uncovered substantial deposits of lithium, often referred to as “white gold” due to its high demand in the battery manufacturing industry.

Historically, Saudi Arabia’s economy has been heavily reliant on its oil and natural gas reserves. The discovery of lithium is a promising step in reducing this dependency and expanding into new sectors, particularly in the growing global electric vehicle (EV) and renewable energy markets, where lithium is a key component in battery production.

Reports indicate that Saudi Aramco, the state-owned petroleum giant, discovered lithium reserves in one of its oil fields located near the sea. As part of a pilot project, Aramco has begun extracting lithium from this field, and the government is eager to scale up these operations.

Khalid bin Saleh Al-Mudaifer, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Mining Affairs, has announced that the government will soon launch a commercial pilot program to promote direct lithium mining. This program is part of Saudi Arabia’s broader strategy to diversify its economy and establish a foothold in the global mining industry. The discovery and future extraction of lithium could provide a new and significant source of revenue for the kingdom, contributing to its Vision 2030 initiative to reduce reliance on oil and develop other sectors like mining and technology.

A new lithium extraction project, named “Lithium Infinity” and also referred to as “LiTech,” has been launched by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in collaboration with Saudi Mining Company Ma’aden and Aramco. The project aims to extract lithium using cutting-edge technology developed at KAUST.

The new technology will play a key role in the extraction process, utilizing various available technologies to efficiently mine lithium. The government is constructing a commercial pilot at the oil fields, where brine water from the fields will provide a continuous energy source for the pilot project.

This discovery underscores Saudi Arabia’s growing role in the global energy transition and its commitment to becoming a key player in the green energy revolution.