全球电池化学品和技术公司 EV Metals Group plc（“VM”或“公司”）欣然宣布，其特殊目的子公司 Riwaq Al Mawarid for Mining（“IWAQ”）已成功获得沙特阿拉伯勘探支持计划（“EP”或“计划”）的资格。该计划由工业和矿产资源部（“IMR”）和沙特阿拉伯投资部（“ISA”）共同推动，在项目开发的关键早期阶段为符合条件的勘探许可证提供支持。

这项资格在利雅得的未来矿产论坛上正式获得认可，适用于 RIWAQ 的 Balthaga 勘探项目（“Balthaga 项目”或“该项目”），该项目位于阿拉伯地盾东南部，距吉达以东 450 公里。该项目涵盖 13 个许可矿区，横跨约 1,300 平方千米，可开采锂、镍和其他电池金属。

沙特阿拉伯政府制定了 EEP，通过提高当地技能和推广创新技术，激励和支持许可证颁发后前五年的勘探工作。该计划旨在加速勘探并产生新的地球科学知识，引起了全球关注。经过全面评估，RIWAQ 是从 18 个申请者中选出的 6 家成功公司之一，在 MIMR 授予的 49 个提案中，有 13 个提案获得批准。

EV Metals Group plc 首席执行官 Luke Fitzgerald 表示：“我们很荣幸有资格参与勘探支持计划，并感谢 MIMR 和 MISA 对我们 Balthaga 项目的持续支持。这项计划证明了沙特王国致力于刺激勘探活动、加速项目开发和推进沙特阿拉伯 2030 愿景目标，即成为全球领先的采矿管辖区。”

这一里程碑是在 RIWAQ 的合资伙伴 Power Metal Resources plc 于 2024 年 6 月成功完成 Balthaga 项目的初步勘探计划之后取得的。实地工作计划涉及从已确定的目标收集 43 个现场岩屑样本，为进一步确定该地区的矿产潜力提供了宝贵的地质数据。这些发现为计划于本月晚些时候（2025 年 1 月）开始的下一阶段勘探提供了信息，并将指导项目的进一步开发。

EV Metals Group plc (“EVM” or “the Company”) a global battery chemicals and technology company, is pleased to announce that its special purpose subsidiary, Riwaq Al Mawarid for Mining (“RIWAQ”) has successfully qualified for the Saudi Arabian Exploration Enablement Program (“EEP” or “the Program”). Jointly facilitated by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (“MIMR”) and the Ministry of Investment for Saudi Arabia (“MISA”), the Program supports eligible exploration licenses during the critical early stages of project development.

This qualification, formally endorsed at the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, applies to RIWAQ’s Balthaga Exploration Project (“Balthaga Project” or “the Project”) located 450km east of Jeddah in the South-East of the Arabian Shield. The Project covers 13 licensed tenements spanning approximately 1,300km² prospective for lithium, nickel and other battery metals.

The Government of Saudi Arabia developed the EEP to incentivise and support exploration efforts on licenses within their first five years by enhancing local skills and promoting innovative technologies. Designed to accelerate exploration and generate new geoscience knowledge, the Program attracted global interest. Following a thorough evaluation, RIWAQ was among six successful companies selected from 18 applicants, and had 13 proposals granted out of a total of 49 awarded by MIMR.

Luke Fitzgerald, CEO of EV Metals Group plc, commented: “We are honoured to qualify for the Exploration Enablement Program and extend our gratitude to MIMR and MISA for their continued support of our Balthaga Project. This initiative is a testament to the Kingdom’s commitment to stimulating exploration activities, accelerating project development, and advancing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goal of becoming a leading global mining jurisdiction.”

This milestone follows the successful completion of an initial exploration program at the Balthaga Project, led by RIWAQ’s earn-in joint venture partner, Power Metal Resources plc in June 2024. The fieldwork program involved the collection of 43 in-situ rock chip samples from identified targets, providing valuable geological data to further defined the region’s mineral potential. These findings have informed the next phase of exploration, scheduled to commence later this month in January 2025, and will guide the further development of the Project.