Reko Diq Mine

The Reko Diq mine is located near Reko

Diq town in Chagai District, Balochistan,
Pakistan.[1] It is a large copper mine
located in the west of Pakistan in
Balochistan. Reko Diq represents one of
the largest copper reserve in Pakistan and
in the world having estimated reserves of
5.9 billion tonnes of ore grading 0.41%
copper. The mine also has gold reserves
amounting to 41.5 million oz.[2]
Reko Diq mine
Location

Reko Diq
mine

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Location Chagai District

Province Balochistan

Country Pakistan

Coordinates 28°58′21″N 62°25′59″E

Production

Products Copper
The Reko Diq area is part of the Tethyan
Magmatic Arc, extending through central
and southeast Europe ( Hungary, Romania,
Bulgaria, Greece) Turkey, Iran and Pakistan
through the Himalayan region into
Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua
New Guinea. It contains wealth of large
copper-gold ore deposits of varying
grades.

The eastern and central sections of the

belt are well recognized hosting world
class mineralization such as Grasberg,
Batu Hijau in Indonesia, Ok Tedi in Papua
New Guinea and Sar Cheshmeh in Iran.
Whereas in the eastern Europe it hosts
world class porphyry/epithermal cluster of
Bor, Majdanpek in Serbia and more recent
developments include Skouries and
Olympias Greece, and Copler in Turkey.

Reko Diq area is one of many eroded

remnant volcanic centers in the Chagai
volcanic chain of mountains which runs in
an east–west line across Balochistan
between the Quetta to Taftan railway and
the border with Afghanistan. TCC has
identified a large, low-grade copper-gold
resource at Reko Diq.

REKO DIQ Resources

The Antofagasta PLC controlled by
majority shareholders Chile's Luksic Group
holds a 50% interest in Tethyan Copper
Company Limited (“Tethyan”), its joint
venture with Barrick Gold Corporation
(“Barrick”). Tethyan is seeking to develop
the Reko Diq copper-gold deposit in the
Chagai Hills District of the province of
Balochistan in south-west Pakistan.
Tethyan has held a 75% interest in an
exploration licence encompassing the
Reko Diq deposit, with the Government of
Balochistan (the provincial authority)
holding the remaining 25% interest,
resulting in an effective interest for the
Antofagasta group of 37.5%.
The mineral resource at Reko Diq is
estimated at 5.9 billion tonnes with an
average copper grade of 0.41% and an
average gold grade of 0.22 g/tonne. The
Group’s 37.5% attributable share of this
resource amounts to 2.2 billion tonnes.

Tethyan completed the feasibility study in

respect of the project and submitted this
to the Government of Balochistan in
August 2010. On 15 February 2011,
Tethyan submitted an application to the
Government of Balochistan in accordance
with the Balochistan Mineral Rules for a
mining lease. On 15 November 2011,
Tethyan was notified by the Government of
Balochistan that the Government had
rejected its application for a mining lease.
Tethyan has commenced two international
arbitrations in order to protect its legal
rights. Tethyan was victorious in the
arbitration proceedings.

The deposit at Reko Diq is a large low

grade copper porphyry, with total mineral
resources of 5.9 billion tons of ore with an
average copper grade of 0.41% and gold
grade of 0.22 g/ton. From this, the
economically mineable portion of the
deposit has been calculated at 2.2 billion
tons, with an average copper grade of
0.53% and gold grade of 0.30 g/ton, with
an annual production estimated at
200,000 tons of copper and 250,000
ounces of gold contained in 600,000 tons
of concentrate.

According to the extensive technical

financial studies undertaken, in order to
secure optimal ‘economies of scale’
efficiencies, and lower mining and
processing costs, a large scale, state of
the art mining and processing unit is
required at Reko Diq.

References
1. "Magic mountains: The Reko Diq gold
and copper mining project" . Herald