Indian metals conglomerate Vedanta will pour bns into Saudi Arabia after getting its license to explore for copper and gold, Bloomberg reports. The firm will start exploration within eight months, targeting prospects in the western Saudi Arabia’s Jabal Sayid belt.

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USD 2 bn pledge: Vedanta plans to apply for additional licences as part of a wider plan to build a Saudi supply chain that stretches from mining through to processing. In 2024, it pledged to invest USD 2 bn to build copper processing plants in the kingdom. Vedanta is a big player in India’s metals value chain as the largest producer of aluminum and zinc.

Zoom in: The metal giant is already progressing on a planned 400k tonnes per annum (tpa) copper smelter-refinery and a 300k tpa copper rod facility in Saudi Arabia as part of its USD 2 bn pledge. Construction on the rod plant has begun, with production expected in 2026, while the smelter is targeted for 2028.

Timeline: The company expects to finalize contracts for its first Saudi mine by mid-January, with early exploration focused on copper and gold. Until domestic ore becomes available, the company plans to source raw material from Chile and Peru to support the new processing facilities.

BACKGROUND- Saudi Arabia is courting global miners as it aims to unlock what it says aremineral reserves worth as much as USD 2.5 tn. India and Saudi Arabia signed a critical-minerals partnership in February 2025, committing to deepen cooperation in exploration and materials supply chains across copper, lithium, and rare earths.

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