Editing Economy of Egypt (section)

=== Mineral and energy resources ===
{{See|Mining industry of Egypt}}
{{See|Energy in Egypt}}

[[File:Darfeel plat.png|thumb|An offshore platform in the Darfeel Gas Field]]

Egypt possesses substantial mineral wealth, spanning both petroleum and non-petroleum resources. The country has deposits of gold, copper, iron ore, phosphate, uranium, tantalum, manganese, chromium, coal, zinc, lead, tin, and black sand minerals such as ilmenite, zircon, rutile, and magnetite<ref name=minerals>{{cite news |url=https://www.intellinews.com/egypt-s-mineral-wealth-shifting-away-from-oil-and-gas-dependence-321266/ |title=Egypt's mineral wealth: shifting away from oil and gas dependence |date=2024-04-23 |work=bne IntelliNews |access-date=2025-04-22}}</ref> It also produces abundant industrial materials like granite, marble, limestone, white sand, kaolin, and feldspar.<ref name=minerals/> These resources are primarily located in the [[Red Sea Governorate|Eastern Desert]], [[Western Desert]], [[Sinai Peninsula]], and Alaqa Valley.<ref name=minerals/>

The Eastern Desert hosts over 1,000 ancient mining sites, including Egypt’s largest gold mine, [[Sukari mine|Sukari]], which began production in 2009 and has since produced over 5 million ounces of gold. Egypt's gold exports reached $1.63 billion in 2022.<ref name=minerals/> The country’s known reserves include 3.1 billion metric tons of iron ore near [[Aswan]], 48 million tons of tantalite in [[South Sinai]], and 16 million tons of coal in [[North Sinai]].<ref name=minerals/> Uranium is found in the Eastern Desert and Sinai, with estimated reserves of 1,900 metric tons.<ref name=minerals/> Manganese deposits at Um Bogma are estimated at 1.7 million tons, and copper reserves are about 1.6 million tons. The country also holds an estimated 700,000 tons of tin.<ref name=minerals/>

Petroleum remains a cornerstone of Egypt's economy, accounting for approximately 25% of GDP. As of late 2023, Egypt had proven oil reserves of 3.1 billion barrels, with production around 559,000 barrels per day, and natural gas reserves of 2.1 trillion cubic meters, producing 175 million cubic meters per day.<ref name=minerals/>

Recent legislative reforms, such as the Mineral Resources Law No. 198 of 2014 and Executive Regulations No. 108 of 2020, have modernized the investment climate.<ref name=minerals/> These laws eliminated profit-sharing requirements, simplified licensing, and introduced tax incentives.<ref name=minerals/> Egypt aims to increase mining’s contribution to GDP from 0.5% in 2021 to 5% by 2040, raising annual sector exports from $1.6 billion in 2020 to $10 billion.<ref name=minerals/> The government has set a target of $1 billion in annual mining investments by 2030.<ref name=minerals/>