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Saudi Arabia will mine minerals, but can it extract maximum added value?

The kingdom wants to leverage its untapped mineral deposits to boost non-oil exports and incentivize local manufacturers to turn raw materials into high-value products.

Saudi mining
An employee walks in a phosphate storage facility in the Maaden Aluminium Factory near Jubail City, 570 kms east of the Saudi capital Riyadh, on Nov. 23, 2016. — FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Commodity exporters rarely squeeze most of the value out of the raw materials they produce. Gulf countries are no exception. For the past half-century, the oil-and-gas-rich region has supplied fossil fuels to power global economic activity, but largely failed to industrialize beyond its role as a commodity exporter.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to challenge the status quo and bring a larger chunk of the oil value chain closer to home. The country’s state oil company, Saudi Aramco, joined forces with TotalEnergies in December 2022 to build a new $11 billion petrochemicals complex in Jubail.

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