Saudi Arabia in November awarded a record 172 mining exploration licenses as well as more than 1,000 industrial chemical permits as the kingdom ramped up efforts to unlock its mineral wealth and diversify its economy beyond oil.

What happened: The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources said it processed 1,095 chemical clearance requests in November, covering 2,081 product classifications, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

The ministry also said that 24 domestic and international companies and consortia had obtained exploration licenses at 172 mining sites across the kingdom, 76 of them awarded through public auction. The new license holders included companies owned by the predominantly state-owned mining firm Ma’aden as well as other Saudi outfits: the Rawafed Al-Oula Mining Co., Royal Roads Arabia and Saudi Gold Refinery Co. Ltd. International winners included US-based Sierra Nevada Gold Inc., Canada’s Brunswick Exploration Incorporated and Dubai-based Arabian Gulf Skylark.

The awarded exploration sites span three mineral belts across the Riyadh, Madinah and Qassim regions, with committed spending exceeding 671 million Saudi riyals ($179 million) during the first two years of project implementation, the ministry said. The licenses cover more than 24,000 square kilometers in areas known for critical minerals, including copper, gold, nickel, silver and zinc.

The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources on Thursday also announced plans to launch more license tenders for exploration covering 13,000 square kilometers across the Hail, Madinah, Makkah, Qassim, and Riyadh regions. It added that these and other opportunities will be revealed at the fifth Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, Jan. 13–15.