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Tag: Chagai

  • Mari Energies Finds Copper-Gold Near Reko Diq

    Mari Energies Finds Copper-Gold Near Reko Diq

    Mari Energies Limited has announced a significant copper and gold discovery at its East Siah Diq exploration target in Balochistan’s Chagai district, about 50 kilometres east of the Reko Diq copper-gold project, in a development that could add to Pakistan’s growing mineral profile.

    The company disclosed the discovery in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Friday, through its wholly owned subsidiary Mari Minerals (Private) Limited. The site is located around 25 kilometres northwest of Nokkundi, in the Koh-i-Sultan area adjacent to the Siah Diq project.

    Mari Minerals, which holds multiple exploration licences in Chagai, has completed approximately 25,000 metres of exploration drilling at East Siah Diq, known as ESD-1, in two phases. Based on the results so far, the company said ESD-1 is a new porphyry copper discovery, with mineralisation spread across about 1.4 square kilometres beneath roughly 100 metres of surface sediments.

    The strongest result came from drill hole ESD-1-DD-017, which recorded 0.50 percent copper over an interval of 400.25 metres, along with 0.11 grams of gold per tonne. Another drill hole recorded 0.45 percent copper over 392.7 metres, with a gold grade of 0.14 grams per tonne, while the highest gold concentration in the first-phase results was 0.19 grams per tonne.

    Laboratory testing of samples from the first phase of drilling has been completed, while analysis of samples from the second phase is still under way and is expected to be finished in the first quarter of 2027. The company said copper mineralisation was mainly associated with chalcopyrite, and that mineralisation continued to be found at depths of up to 500 metres.

    Mari Energies plans to carry out further drilling to test the mineralisation at greater depths, potentially reaching 1,000 metres below the surface. The company cautioned, however, that further drilling, geological interpretation, metallurgical test work, resource estimation and technical studies will be needed before the scale, grade, continuity and economic significance of the discovery can be determined, and that the results do not yet amount to a mineral resource or reserve.

    The technical information in the announcement was reviewed and approved by John Mortimer, PhD, of JM Geoscience Pty Ltd, who has more than 40 years of experience in mineral exploration, including porphyry copper exploration. Mari Minerals, formerly known as Mari Mining Company, has also signed an agreement with mining company Ivanhoe Atlantic for the exploration of copper and gold deposits in Chagai.

    The announcement came as the two-day Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026 was held in Islamabad, where the government pitched the country’s mineral reserves to investors from more than 60 countries. Officials have put Pakistan’s mineral wealth at about $8 trillion, and the forum heard that another company had identified copper-gold mineralisation at eight sites in the same district.

  • Pakistan Pledges Security, Clear Terms for Mining Investors

    Pakistan Pledges Security, Clear Terms for Mining Investors

    Pakistan has pledged to provide security for mines, clear and uniform fiscal terms for investors, and better geological data as it seeks to turn its mineral sector into a competitive industry, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik told the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum in Islamabad on Friday.

    Addressing the second day of the two-day Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026, Malik said the government was committed to ensuring security and safety at mine sites, along logistics routes and, above all, for trained human resources, so that mining operations could continue without interruption. Special arrangements had been made to strengthen the security framework for the sector, he said, according to Dunya News, the Express Tribune and Arab News.

    Malik said Pakistan would offer investors clear and uniform fiscal terms for mining projects, without requiring negotiations on special arrangements case by case. “Our aim is straightforward. We want clear fiscal terms available to every responsible company without the need to negotiate special arrangements on a case-to-case basis,” he said, as reported by the Express Tribune.

    He said the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was investing in improving geological data through the Geological Survey of Pakistan, recognising that investors could not accurately assess project risks without reliable scientific information. The government was strengthening the scientific foundation of the sector through accelerated geological mapping, including detailed surveys at a scale of 1:50,000, modern geochemical and geophysical surveys, exploratory drilling and upgraded geoscience laboratories, he said.

    More than 40 mineral exploration licences had recently been granted in the Chagai and Khuzdar districts of Balochistan alone, reflecting growing private sector participation in strategic and critical minerals, the minister said. Exploration efforts were increasingly focusing on minerals of strategic importance to global investors, including copper and gold in Chagai and western Balochistan, lithium, tin and tungsten in Gilgit-Baltistan, and antimony and base metals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    Malik said Pakistan had traditionally exported raw ore and concentrates while importing finished products, and the government was now advancing copper smelting to capture greater value across the supply chain, from mining to finished metal. International technical cooperation, including the UK-Pakistan Geoscience Capacity Building Programme, was helping strengthen expertise in digital mapping, airborne surveys and mineral assessment, and decades of geological information were being digitised for investors, he said.

    He said discovering a mineral deposit was only the beginning, as commercially viable mining projects required power, water, roads, railways and access to international markets. The government was developing road connectivity between Chagai’s mineral-rich belt and Gwadar Port, linking Thar coal resources with power plants, and upgrading the Rohri-Nokundi Railway Corridor, connectivity to Port Qasim and supporting infrastructure around Reko Diq, he said.

    “Our objective is very clear: to build not just individual mines, but an integrated, competitive and sustainable mineral industry,” Malik said. He said the government wanted investment, wherever commercially and technically viable, to support processing, refining, downstream industries, technology transfer and integration into global value chains, and that the sector should strengthen Pakistani capabilities through technical skills, vocational training and career opportunities for young people, including women entering the sector.

    He stressed that the development of the mineral industry must also benefit communities in producing regions through improved livelihoods, skills, services and local opportunities, and that environmental management, safety standards and transparent community engagement were essential requirements for responsible mining. Addressing international investors, including Barrick, Ivanhoe and Minmetals, he said Pakistan was open to long-term mining investment and hoped to earn their confidence through practical delivery and effective follow-up after the forum.

    The minister’s address came on the same day Field Marshal Asim Munir told the forum that Pakistan aimed to become a competitive destination for long-term mineral investment, with all possible measures being taken to ensure the security of the entire mining ecosystem. Arab News noted that Pakistan’s security situation had unsettled global mining firms, including Barrick Mining Corporation, which announced in April that it would slow down development of the Reko Diq copper-gold mine.

  • Copper-Gold Discoveries Announced in Chagai, Balochistan

    Copper-Gold Discoveries Announced in Chagai, Balochistan

    Two Pakistani companies have announced significant copper and gold discoveries in Balochistan’s Chagai district, in separate announcements made at the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026 in Islamabad.

    National Resources Limited (NRL), a Pakistani-owned mineral exploration company, said it had identified copper and gold mineralisation across at least eight porphyry discoveries in the Darigwan area of Chagai, after nearly 25,000 metres of drilling. One drill hole returned 295 metres of continuous mineralisation grading 0.43 percent copper and 0.13 grams of gold per tonne, including a 132-metre stretch grading 0.83 percent copper, chairman Muhammad Ali Tabba told the forum.

    The discoveries span 5.6 square kilometres, adjoining NRL’s earlier copper-gold find at the Tang Kaur porphyry system. Tabba said further work at exploration licence EL214 was expected to establish substantial resources, subject to the completion of exploration and a formal resource estimate.

    In a separate announcement, Mari Energies Limited told the Pakistan Stock Exchange that it had made a significant copper-gold discovery at its East Siah Diq (ESD-1) target in Chagai, through its wholly owned subsidiary Mari Minerals. The site lies about 50 kilometres east of the Reko Diq copper-gold mine project and 25 kilometres northwest of Nokkundi, in the Koh-i-Sultan area.

    Mari Minerals completed about 25,000 metres of exploration drilling at ESD-1 in two phases, with drill holes reaching depths of up to 500 metres. The results identified porphyry-style copper mineralisation across about 1.4 square kilometres. Assay results from the first phase included a 400.25-metre interval grading 0.50 percent copper and 0.11 grams of gold per tonne, while laboratory analysis of the second phase is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027.

    Still at the exploration stage

    Both companies stressed that the findings are at the exploration stage and do not yet constitute a mineral resource or reserve. Mari Energies said further drilling, geological interpretation, metallurgical testing, resource estimation and technical studies would be needed before the scale, grade, continuity and economic significance of the mineralisation could be determined.

    NRL said preliminary resource estimates had been prepared by a separate consultant but were being withheld until they met international reporting standards. The company plans to begin environmental, hydrogeological, metallurgical and geotechnical studies in 2027, aiming to complete a bankable feasibility study by the end of the decade. Tabba also reaffirmed the company’s 100 million dollar commitment to mineral exploration in Pakistan.

    Mari Minerals, which was set up in July 2023 to pursue mineral mining projects, signed an agreement with mining company Ivanhoe Atlantic a day earlier for the exploration of copper and gold deposits in Chagai. NRL, a joint venture of Fatima Fertilisers, Liberty Mills and Lucky Cement, holds five exploration licences in Balochistan, covering two copper-gold projects, one lead-zinc project and two antimony projects.

    Chagai already hosts the Reko Diq project, one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold deposits, and the new announcements add to the district’s standing as Pakistan’s copper-gold belt.

  • بلوچستان میں تانبے اور سونے کی تلاش کا معاہدہ

    بلوچستان میں تانبے اور سونے کی تلاش کا معاہدہ

    کینیڈا کی کان کن کمپنی ایوان ہو مائنز نے ماری منرلز کے ساتھ بلوچستان کے ضلع چاغی میں تانبے اور سونے کے ذخائر کی تلاش کا معاہدہ کر لیا ہے۔ یہ مفاہمتی یادداشت جمعرات کو اسلام آباد میں پاکستان منرلز انویسٹمنٹ فورم کے موقع پر دستخط کی گئی، جس کی تقریب میں وفاقی وزیر پیٹرولیم علی پرویز ملک بھی موجود تھے۔ ماری منرلز، ماری انرجیز کی کان کنی کی ذیلی کمپنی ہے جو پاکستان کی نمایاں توانائی کمپنیوں میں سے ایک ہے۔

    معاہدے کے تحت دونوں کمپنیاں چاغی کے علاقے میں معدنیات کی صلاحیت کا جائزہ لیں گی اور تانبے و سونے کے وسائل کی ترقی کے مواقع تلاش کریں گی۔ ایوان ہو کے چیئرمین رابرٹ فریڈلینڈ نے فورم میں معاہدے کا اعلان کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ کمپنی پاکستان میں اپنا دفتر قائم کرنے کے ابتدائی مرحلے میں ہے اور جمعے کو ایک اور معاہدے پر دستخط کی توقع ہے۔ کمپنیوں نے معاہدے کی مالی تفصیلات، تلاش کے وعدوں یا حتمی معاہدے کا کوئی وقت ظاہر نہیں کیا۔

    یہ قدم ایوان ہو کو ایک ایسے خطے میں قدم جمانے کا موقع دیتا ہے جہاں کان کنی کا شعبہ ابھی بڑی حد تک غیر دریافت شدہ ہے، جبکہ پاکستان اپنی معدنی دولت کی ترقی کے لیے غیر ملکی سرمایہ اور تکنیکی مہارت لانے کی کوشش کر رہا ہے۔ فریڈلینڈ نے کہا کہ کمپنی پاکستان میں برابری کی شراکت داری چاہتی ہے، تاہم انہوں نے یہ تصدیق نہیں کی کہ ماری انرجیز کے ساتھ معاہدہ 50-50 کی بنیاد پر ہوگا۔ ایوان ہو کی سعودی عرب کی سرکاری کان کن کمپنی معدین کے ساتھ پہلے سے 50-50 کی تلاش کی شراکت موجود ہے جو پاکستان میں اس کے کام کے لیے نمونہ بن سکتی ہے۔

    یہ دستخط اس وقت ہوئے جب وزیر پیٹرولیم نے فورم میں عالمی کان کنی اور توانائی کمپنیوں بشمول بیرک، ویئر، ٹریفگورا اور ترکیہ کی چالک ہولڈنگ کے وفود سے ملاقاتیں کیں۔ یہ مذاکرات پاکستان کی اس کوشش کا حصہ ہیں کہ ملک کے معدنی شعبے میں سرمایہ کاری لائی جائے جس کے بارے میں حکومت کا کہنا ہے کہ اس میں بے پناہ غیر دریافت شدہ ذخائر موجود ہیں۔ دو روزہ فورم میں بین الاقوامی کان کن کمپنیوں، مالیاتی اداروں اور حکام نے نئے منصوبوں پر تبادلہ خیال کیا۔

    چاغی میں پہلے سے ریکو ڈک منصوبہ موجود ہے جو دنیا کے سب سے بڑے غیر ترقی یافتہ تانبے اور سونے کے منصوبوں میں سے ایک ہے اور اسے بیرک تیار کر رہی ہے۔ یہ منصوبہ پہلے مرحلے میں سالانہ 45 ملین ٹن ایسک پراسیس کرنے کے لیے ڈیزائن کیا گیا ہے جو بعد میں دوگنا ہو جائے گا، اور اسے انٹرنیشنل فنانس کارپوریشن، ایشیائی ترقیاتی بینک اور امریکی ایکسپورٹ امپورٹ بینک سمیت قرض دہندگان سے 3.5 ارب ڈالر کی مالی مدد مل چکی ہے۔ تاہم پاکستان اور مشرق وسطیٰ میں بڑھتے ہوئے سیکیورٹی خدشات کے باعث بیرک نے منصوبے کا جائزہ بڑھا دیا ہے۔

  • Ivanhoe, Mari to Explore Copper, Gold in Balochistan

    Ivanhoe, Mari to Explore Copper, Gold in Balochistan

    Canadian mining company Ivanhoe Mines has signed an agreement with Mari Minerals to explore copper and gold deposits in Balochistan’s Chagai district, in a deal that marks the company’s first step into South Asia. The memorandum of understanding was signed on the sidelines of the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum in Islamabad on Thursday, with Federal Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik present at the ceremony. Mari Minerals is the mining arm of Mari Energies, one of Pakistan’s leading energy companies.

    Under the agreement, the two companies will study the mineral potential of the Chagai region and look for ways to develop its copper and gold resources. Ivanhoe’s chairman, Robert Friedland, announced the deal at the forum and said the company was in the early stages of setting up an office in Pakistan. He added that Ivanhoe expected to sign a further agreement on Friday. The companies have not disclosed any financial terms, exploration commitments or timetable for a final deal.

    The move gives Ivanhoe a foothold in a largely unexplored mining region as Pakistan tries to attract foreign capital and technical expertise to develop its mineral wealth. Friedland said the company wanted to build equal partnerships in Pakistan, although he did not confirm whether the Mari Energies agreement would be structured on a 50-50 basis. Ivanhoe already has a 50-50 exploration partnership with Ma’aden, Saudi Arabia’s state-controlled mining company, which could serve as a model for its work in Pakistan.

    The signing came as the petroleum minister held a series of meetings with global mining and energy companies at the forum, including Barrick, Weir, Trafigura and Turkiye’s Çalık Holding. The talks are part of Pakistan’s push to draw investment into a sector the government says holds vast untapped reserves. The forum, which runs over two days in Islamabad, has brought together international miners, financiers and officials to discuss new projects.

    Chagai is already home to Reko Diq, one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper and gold projects, which is being developed by Barrick. The project is designed to process 45 million tonnes of ore a year in its first phase, doubling later, and has secured 3.5 billion dollars in debt financing from lenders including the International Finance Corporation, the Asian Development Bank and the US Export-Import Bank. Barrick has, however, extended its review of the project amid growing security concerns in Pakistan and the wider Middle East.