Perth: Minister of Petroleum Karim Badawi on Friday witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Egyptian Authority for Mineral Resources and Mining Industries and Spain's Xcalibur Smart Mapping to carry out an airborne geophysical survey of Egypt's nationwide mineral potential and provide the technological solutions needed for planning and evaluating mineral-rich deposits.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the agreement includes the exchange of scientific, technical, academic, and geological data and risk assessments, as well as cooperation on research and evaluation programs. It also permits joint implementation of projects related to geology and mineral resources.

The ministry said the project is a national initiative to conduct airborne and satellite-based geophysical surveys across all Egyptian governorates in order to build a modern, detailed database of Egypt's geological potential. The survey will be divided into several research zones: the Eastern Desert, Western Desert, Sinai, the Bahariya Oasis, and Abu Tartur.

The initial stage will involve integrating historical geological data with satellite imagery on the first layer of a new digital platform. The first phase will launch the magnetic airborne survey, followed by a second phase focusing on priority mining areas.

During his tour of the company's site, the minister inspected the aircraft hangar prepared for the survey missions, the geophysical sensors, aviation-data systems, and operational safety procedures.