AMMAN — Wadi Araba Minerals Company has estimated copper ore resources at the Abu Khashiba project in southern Jordan at between 9.4 million and 20.9 million tonnes, depending on the assessment method, as exploration continues and work advances on a pilot processing plant.

 

The estimates were presented on Monday during a field visit to the project by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh and members of the Senate and Lower House energy and mineral resources committees.

 

Company General Manager Hani Asmar said the company’s internal assessment estimated 20.9 million tonnes of ore with an average copper grade of 0.38 per cent.

 

An independent technical assessment estimated 9.4 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.50 per cent, equivalent to around 46,000 tonnes of copper, he added.

 

He said the estimates were based on initial exploration, with drilling covering only part of the basin’s copper-bearing areas, leaving scope for further exploration and revised resource estimates.

 

Since the implementation agreement took effect in May, the company has analysed 659 geochemical samples, excavated 53 exploration trenches and drilled 65 boreholes, alongside laboratory and metallurgical testing.

 

The next phase will run for 24 months and include more than 120 additional exploratory boreholes using diamond core drilling, Asmar said. The work aims to expand the area studied, refine geological models and support a definitive feasibility study.

 

The company is also developing a pilot-scale processing plant to assess the ore’s characteristics and test extraction methods ahead of designing a potential commercial facility.

 

Preliminary tests on oxidised ores containing minerals such as malachite and chrysocolla achieved copper extraction rates exceeding 99 per cent under specific conditions, Asmar said, adding that larger-scale tests are still needed to verify efficiency and economic feasibility.

 

The company has also identified an estimated 400,000 tonnes of ore with an average copper grade of around 1 per cent as potentially suitable for initial extraction.

 

Kharabsheh described the project as a strategic opportunity to increase the mining sector’s contribution to the economy, attract investment and create jobs.

 

He stressed the need to progress from exploration and resource assessment to feasibility studies and commercial production in line with international technical standards.

 

Asmar said that the company’s preliminary projections put the government’s share of total profits at 48-50 per cent, depending on production, prices and costs. The estimates will be revised after final feasibility studies.

 

Senate Energy Committee Chair Farouk Hiyari said that developing mining investment could increase the value added from mineral resources and support economic growth under the Economic Modernisation Vision.