Significant copper-gold mineralisation in Chagai discovered

ISLAMABAD: National Resources Limited (NRL) said on Tuesday they have discovered significant copper-gold mineralisation in Chagai, Balochistan.This was announced by Muhammad Ali Tabba, Chairman NRL and CEO Lucky Cement Limited while addressing the participants at Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025.

NRL, a 100 per cent Pakistani privately owned company and a subsidiary of Fatima Fertiliser, Liberty Mills Limited, and Lucky Cement, was awarded a lease in October 2023. The licensed area contained two known porphyry prospects with strong exploration potential. Over the 15 months, NRL has identified 18 new prospects. One of these prospects, “Tang Kaur,” has rapidly progressed to an advanced drilling stage.

According to Tabba, NRL has completed 13 diamond drill holes (3,517 metres), all of which intersected significant porphyry-style alteration, sheeted and stockwork quartz vein sets, and sulfide mineralisation. Assay results from the first six drill holes (1,500 metres) confirm strongly mineralised, near-surface zones with downhole intervals ranging from 48 to 148 metres, using a 0.2 per cent copper cut-off grade and up to 10 metres of internal dilution. The average grade of the intercepts ranges from 0.23 per cent to 0.48 per cent copper, 0.09 to 0.14 g/t gold, and 1.30 to 6.21 g/t silver, resulting in a copper equivalent of 0.28 per cent to 0.56 per cent. The mineralised system remains open to the north, east, and at depth.

Advanced drilling at Tang Kaur is scheduled for May 2025, leading to an NI 43-101 technical report by year-end by internationally recognised consultants, who are already monitoring the project. This will be followed by 3–4 years of detailed exploration, culminating in feasibility studies, while exploration of the other prospects and leases continues.

Additionally, NRL has acquired a licence for lead-zinc exploration adjacent to a well-known deposit, where a bankable feasibility study has already been conducted. A comprehensive metal value chain is also being studied to assess the feasibility of downstream processing.

Tabba said NRL considers indigenous populations as key stakeholders and actively supports social development through clean water, education, healthcare, and local employment/businesses. “Our current ratio of local employment is above 90 per cent. NRL fosters industry-academia collaboration and remains committed to sustainability. NRL believes mining prospers only when local communities are recognised as the most important stakeholder, and they directly benefit from such activities.”

He said NRL was actively working with the Balochistan government and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to secure two additional copper-gold exploration licences in Chagai, supported by a dedicated $100 million exploration fund. “We have also signed an MOU with Oil and Gas Development Company to work on newly acquired leases together. Looking ahead, NRL plans to bring additional national and international investors into the project as required,” Tabba said.