By Penny Langford
ISLAMABAD : The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC) announced Saturday the discovery of lithium in geothermal formation water at concentrations comparable to world-class projects in Europe and North America.
The discovery, the first of its kind in Pakistan, was identified during geochemical analysis of a high-temperature geothermal well as part of OGDC’s ongoing pilot program. While the company did not disclose specific parts per million (ppm) data, officials characterized the concentrations as "high-grade" and equivalent to brines currently under commercial development internationally.
The state-owned explorer stated that the finding represents a significant expansion of Pakistan's critical minerals potential. The government is currently pushing to diversify its energy and mineral portfolio to secure domestic supply chains for the energy transition.
"This discovery highlights the untapped subsurface potential of Pakistan's geothermal systems," the company said in a statement. "Advanced geochemical analysis has confirmed that these brines contain lithium levels consistent with top-tier international benchmarks."
The discovery complements OGDC’s existing interests in the Reko Diq copper-gold project in Balochistan. As the lithium market looks for a structural recovery in 2026, Pakistan’s entry into the brine sector could position the nation as a regional player in battery material supply.
OGDC noted that further technical and geochemical evaluation is required to determine the regional extent, continuity, and commercial viability of the resource. An expanded evaluation program is now planned to assess the feasibility of modern extraction methods.
The state-owned company is Pakistan’s largest oil and gas explorer, but its strategic shift toward critical minerals mirrors a global trend among fossil fuel giants seeking to leverage existing drilling expertise for mineral extraction.
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?? Pakistan’s OGDC has confirmed a major lithium discovery in geothermal brines, with concentrations matching leading projects in Europe and North America. This marks a pivotal shift for the nation’s critical minerals sector. Read the full analysis on Pakistan’s 2026 mineral outlook at Skillings Mining Intelligence. #MiningNews #Lithium #Pakistan #EnergyTransition #CriticalMinerals
