Egypt’s Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority has initialed a contract with Spain’s Xcalibur to implement a nationwide airborne geophysical survey project for mineral resources.

The airborne survey is considered one of Egypt’s most strategic projects aimed at driving a major transformation in the country’s mining sector.

Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi said the project marks Egypt’s first comprehensive airborne mining survey in 42 years.

He explained that the survey will provide an updated, high-precision database on Egypt’s mineral ores, helping unlock promising investment opportunities for investors in mineral exploration and prospecting based on reliable data.

Badawi added that the availability of such data will help reduce exploration costs and risks, strengthening the confidence of both local and international companies to inject new investments into Egypt’s mining sector.

He also noted that transforming the Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority into an independent economic entity, with the support and directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, represented a pivotal turning point that enabled the authority to implement this national project.

He described it as one of the first direct outcomes of the legislative reforms aimed at restructuring the authority’s status.

For his part, Yasser Ramadan, Chairman of the Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority, said the comprehensive airborne geophysical survey will cover six geographical areas nationwide. These include the southern and northern Eastern Desert, Sinai, the northern and southern Western Desert, as well as Bahariya Oasis and Abu Tartur in New Valley.

Ramadan added that the survey works, to be carried out by Xcalibur, will rely on the company’s latest aircraft and advanced technologies, alongside cooperation with specialized national institutions, represented by the Nuclear Materials Authority.

This cooperation aims to benefit from the authority’s accumulated technical and scientific expertise, enhancing the accuracy of the project’s results and technical outputs. The authority’s aircraft will also take part in the survey in cooperation with Drone Tech, maximizing the use of national assets and capabilities.

Xcalibur has advanced expertise in collecting, integrating, and analyzing geophysical data to support exploration activities and the preparation of accurate analytical maps. The company has implemented more than 1,400 airborne survey projects for governments and mining authorities across six continents.