The participation of both Professor Salah Al-Jbour and Dr. Ziad Al-Majali in
the activities of the workshop "The Reality and Prospects of Minerals Used
in Clean Energy Technologies in Arab Countries," held on the 7th and 8th
of May, 2024. The workshop was sponsored by the Minister of Energy and Mineral
Resources and organized by the Ministry, the Energy and Minerals Regulatory
Commission, and the Arab Organization for Industrial Development,
Standardization, and Mining, with attendance exceeding 200 participants. The
workshop, over the course of two days, discussed various themes such as Arab
mining investment opportunities, value and supply chains, innovation and
digital transformation, clean energy technologies and sustainability, financing
and added value. It also reviewed leading Arab and international experiences in
the field of minerals used in clean energy technologies, with the participation
of officials, experts, and interested parties from the Arab countries that are
members of the Arab Organization for Industrial Development, Standardization,
and Mining, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western
Asia (ESCWA), which includes 20 Arab countries in the Western Asia region. The
workshop, being held for the first time in the Arab world, gains its importance
due to the recent increase in demand for rare minerals available in the Arab
region within diverse geological environments and mineral provinces such as
aluminum, copper, and lithium, used to build wind turbines, electric cars,
solar panels, batteries, and electrical grids, as well as modern digital
technologies, making the Arab region a sustainable mining hub for producing
energy transition minerals at the global level. The workshop represents an
opportunity for exchanging expertise and discussions among stakeholders in the
mineral wealth sector, experts, and interested parties from both public and
private sectors in Arab countries to support and develop the sector of minerals
used in clean energy technologies, especially as the global outlook is directed
towards enhancing energy transition to face climate change and keeping pace
with existing and expected technological advancements, linking infrastructure
sectors, digital technology, and manufacturing industries to the mining sector
to achieve sustainable development goals.The workshop witnessed wide
participation from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Iraq, Mauritania, Tunisia, Morocco,
Libya, and Yemen.
