Jordan signs Manaseer copper agreement for a 78-square-kilometre area

Jordan and Manaseer signed an executive agreement on October 21 for a proposed underground copper project. It requires feasibility and environmental studies ...

Jordan signs Manaseer copper agreement for a 78-square-kilometre area

Jordan and Manaseer signed an executive agreement on October 21 for a proposed underground copper project. It requires feasibility and environmental studies before extraction; preliminary resource estimates remain unverified.

Agreement sets a study and development framework

Jordan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and Manaseer Group signed an executive agreement on October 21 covering a copper exploration area of about 78 square kilometres in southern Jordan. The agreement concerns Wadi Khaled, Wadi Al-Nuhas, Wadi Al-Jariya and Wadi Al-Mahash. World Resource News published its report on October 22, citing the Jordan News Agency; Petra’s own report and the ministry release provide the official account of the signing.

The agreement moves the project into further technical, economic and environmental assessment. It does not mean that commercial mining has started or that a final investment decision has been made. Manaseer is to complete feasibility and environmental work, verify mineral resource and reserve estimates, determine economically recoverable quantities and estimate the capital required. The required studies and regulatory process remain ahead of any mining operation.

World Resource News; Petra; Jordan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources · Petra / Jordan Ministry of Energy · Jordan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources

Preliminary figures are not a reserve statement

The government’s preliminary geological figures estimate about 45 million tonnes of copper ore, containing approximately 500,000 to 600,000 tonnes of pure copper. Initial samples showed a copper concentration near 1.36% in a southern geological formation, with some samples above 3.5%. The government and Petra describe these as preliminary findings; the agreement requires the company to verify resource and reserve estimates and determine recoverable quantities.

Those figures should not be read as a bankable reserve or as a production forecast. The release does not provide a mine plan, recovery rate, annual output, project cost, financing package or construction schedule. Feasibility work will need to test geology, extraction, processing, infrastructure, market economics and environmental constraints before the project’s commercial potential can be assessed.

World Resource News; Petra; Jordan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources · Petra / Jordan Ministry of Energy · Jordan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources

Underground method and off-area facilities

The stated concept is underground mining rather than open-pit extraction, with the aim of limiting effects on surface landscapes, ecosystems and biodiversity. The ministry says access to the underground mineralization would use carefully planned entrances and tunnels. Mining, ore-processing facilities and supporting infrastructure are to be located outside the designated 78-square-kilometre area, with precise placement subject to technical and environmental studies and approvals.

Environmental impact assessments, licences and regulatory approvals must be completed before exploitation begins. The ministry says work on environmental requirements will involve the energy and environment ministries, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature and other agencies. This is a project design intention and permitting condition; it is not evidence that impacts have already been assessed or that permits have been issued.

World Resource News; Petra; Jordan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources · Petra / Jordan Ministry of Energy · Jordan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources

Local employment target and next tests — analysis

The agreement follows an exploration memorandum signed in June 2022 with a Manaseer subsidiary. Petra says the company undertook geological surveys, exploratory drilling and trenching, and laboratory analysis during exploration. The project is expected to create employment, training and vocational-development opportunities, with a target of about 90% Jordanian workers. That is a target, not a guaranteed hiring outcome.

The next evidence should include the completed feasibility studies, verified resource classification, an environmental assessment, the location and footprint of off-area facilities, and any disclosed capital and financing plan. This analysis is separate from the reported terms: no cost or production schedule has been published. The underground concept and local-workforce target indicate stated design priorities, but neither establishes a final mine configuration, approval or start date.

World Resource News; Petra; Jordan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources · Petra / Jordan Ministry of Energy · Jordan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources