OGDCL, PINSTECH Sign Agreement To Explore Lithium And Critical Minerals From Geothermal Brines.
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✧ GENERATE BRIEFING
The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has signed a formal agreement with the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) to conduct advanced multi element testing for lithium and critical minerals. The testing program focuses on analyzing more than 2,000 produced water and geothermal brine samples sourced from candidate wells in Sindh. Building on promising initial findings at the Wahid Bukhsh-01 well which identified high-grade lithium concentrations reaching up to 291 mg/L the collaboration utilizes Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) and radioactive element profiling to rank wells and map mineral distribution. While the initiative represents an important exploration and feasibility step toward Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) rather than immediate commercial production, it offers a transformative pathway to repurpose oil and gas waste streams for Pakistan's emerging clean energy and battery supply chains.
Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has signed an agreement with the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) to conduct advanced testing aimed at assessing lithium and other critical minerals in produced water and brine from selected OGDCL wells.
Under the agreement, PINSTECH will use Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Element Profiling and Radioactive Element Profiling to analyse samples from candidate wells. The testing will cover lithium, rare earth elements, precious metals and radioactive elements.
Advanced Testing and Geochemical Profiling
OGDCL said more than 2,000 samples will be collected from candidate wells. The results will be used to develop a geochemical database, rank wells according to their lithium and rare-earth concentrations and identify areas with higher mineral concentrations.
The programme is also intended to provide the technical basis for assessing the feasibility of Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) from produced water and geothermal brines. OGDCL said the initiative could potentially turn produced water, traditionally treated as a waste stream from oil and gas operations, into a valuable source of critical minerals.
The latest agreement builds on earlier pilot testing at the Wahid Bukhsh-01 well in Sindh, where OGDCL identified lithium concentrations of around 291 milligrams per litre (mg/L) in geothermal brine. These elevated readings have underscored the need for systematic sampling and technical assessments to establish the resource’s commercial scale.
Expanding Beyond Conventional Hydrocarbons
OGDCL has been steadily expanding its strategic focus beyond conventional hydrocarbons into minerals and alternative energy resources. Following the initial Sindh discoveries, the company has identified several additional wells for localized geothermal-brine and critical-mineral exploration.
Lithium remains a vital raw material for rechargeable batteries utilized in electric vehicles (EVs), grid-scale energy storage systems, and advanced consumer electronics. While the agreement marks a critical exploratory and technical milestone, company officials note that further geological, technical, and economic feasibility studies will be necessary before commercial extraction projects can move forward.
