Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz inaugurated the "North Promise" project for the mining industries.
It is estimated that the region contains about 500 million tons of phosphate, accounting for 7% of the world's reserves. The crude phosphate is concentrated in Jalamid, Um and Aal, between Arar and Tarif.
Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Falih said earlier that the cost of the "North Promise" project was estimated at 85 billion riyals ($ 22.7 billion).
Al-Falih added that the national industrial development and logistics program, by enabling the sectors of logistics, energy, mining and industry, aims to contribute to GDP by SR1 trillion and 1.6 billion, and to attract investments of SR1 trillion and SR600 billion by 2030.
After completing the second phase of the North Promise Project, the Kingdom's production will increase to nine million tons per year of phosphate, making it the second producer of phosphate fertilizers in the world. As part of his tour of the northern governorates, King Salman inaugurated more than 242 development and service projects in Al-Jouf province, at a total cost of 10 billion riyals, including health, education and housing. The services included roads, flood drainage, rehabilitation and construction of gardens and bridges, development of agriculture and irrigation resources, except for industrial cities and expansion of renewable energy resources.