AMMAN —
Minister of energy and mineral resources,
Saleh Al-Kharabsheh, said that
the inspection tour of the copper exploration project in the Wadi Araba region
revealed copper ore concentrations of up to 3.5 percent.
اضافة اعلان
The project was carried out by the
Jordanian Integrated
Mining and Exploration Company, specifically the Wadi
Al-Jariya 1 and 2 areas south of Dana, Ammon News reported.
Exploration activitesZuhair Hasnine, the director of the
Integrated Company, explained that exploration activities began in the northern
part of the Dana contract area following the signing of the memorandum of
understanding in 2022. This included creating new routes and rehabilitating old
ones in the area. In total,
exploratory activities involved 76 trenches, 170
boreholes, 4 old tunnels, 16 surface samples, and 21 wells.
Hasnine added that the company is currently
conducting tests on the samples in international laboratories in Austria and
Turkey. The results showed higher copper concentrations in three areas compared
to previous studies and lower concentrations in one area. A total of 357
samples were sent, with 200 prepared for chemical analysis.
History of the project
In June 2022, the
Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources signed a memorandum of understanding with the Jordanian
Integrated Mining and Exploration Company to explore copper ores in the Dana
region over an area of 78 square kilometers.
This allowed the company to continue its
exploration work, which began in the first phase between 2016 and 2018 when the
project area was divided into four main blocks, accompanied by detailed
geological mapping of the northern region at a scale of 1:10,000.
Maintaining the reserve
Raid Al-Khawaldeh, the director of
Dana Nature Reserve, emphasized the importance of adhering to environmental
standards during mining operations and the optimal utilization of natural
resources in the Dana region. He stated that the Royal Scientific Society,
which oversees the reserve, is committed to minimizing environmental pollution
and soil erosion, and it encourages investors to rehabilitate the mining area
after completing their projects.
Ministry’s role
Kharabsheh said that the ministry has
signed 13 memoranda of understanding for the exploration of copper, lithium,
gold, rare earth elements,
rock phosphate, and potash. The ministry is actively
accelerating various mining operations in collaboration with its partners in
the sector.
Accompanying the minister on his inspection
tour were Hisham Al-Zyoud, Director of Natural Resource Studies, Mu'tasim
Hawamdeh, Head of Exploration Studies Department, Laith Abu Afar, Head of the
Strategic Minerals Technical Committee, and Geologist Muhannad Hamza from the
ministry.
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