Saudi Arabia is committed to importing lithium from abroad to support its ambitions in producing batteries for electric cars and investing in this sector, said Bandar Al-Khoraief, the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources. He noted that efforts to secure these supplies locally are still in their early stages.
Lithium is a key mineral that cannot be ignored in the supply chain, especially for batteries. Saudi Arabia has begun to explore the possibility of extracting lithium from seawater and brine from oil fields, but the success of these initiatives is still uncertain. The Public Investment Fund and Ma’aden have established a joint project to invest in mining assets abroad to secure these resources.
Al-Khoraief expressed confidence that Saudi Arabia’s natural resource needs will be met either through domestic production or imports. However, he highlighted the need for further research and exploration to ensure the economic viability of lithium mining in Saudi Arabia. Chilean officials have mentioned potential talks with Saudi Arabia regarding investments in the mining sector, but Al-Khoraief said he was not aware of any concrete discussions about lithium licenses with Chile.