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Reko Diq Copper-Gold Project

Reko Diq Mining Company

A world class copper-gold mine in the making

One of the largest undeveloped copper-gold projects in the world, Reko Diq is owned 50% by Barrick, 25% by three federal state-owned enterprises, 25% by the Government of Balochistan of which 15% is on a fully funded basis and 10% is on a free carried basis.

Reko Diq is nestled in the Chagai district of Balochistan, the largest district by area, with close proximity to the Afghanistan and Iran borders. The district is characterized by arid and semi-arid terrain with vast deserts, mountain ranges, and sparse vegetation. The desert includes the Ras Koh Hills and the Chagai Hills. The district has a sparse population due to its harsh living conditions. The majority of the inhabitants are Baloch, with a mix of other ethnic groups. Chagai faces numerous challenges, including underdevelopment, lack of infrastructure, and limited access to basic services such as education, healthcare, and clean water.

The reconstitution of the Reko Diq project was completed in December 2022 — a key step in progressing the development of Reko Diq into a world-class, long-life mine which would substantially expand Barrick’s strategically significant copper portfolio and benefit its Pakistani stakeholders for generations to come.

Barrick is now updating the project’s 2010 feasibility and 2011 feasibility expansion studies with 2028 targeted for first production.

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Project Highlights

As of May 2024

77%

Employees of Reko Diq Mining Company (“RDMC”) from Balochistan province

309

Households provided with reliable clean and safe water

80%

Population under 10 years old provided access to education

$2.5 million

Invested in community initiatives

 

Transformative impact on underdeveloped Balochistan province and its people

Reko Diq will be a major contributor to Pakistan’s economy which is expected to have a transformative impact on the Balochistan province.

This will occur through significant job creation and investment in local and regional development projects. The province’s interest in the mine will be fully funded, which means that Balochistan will reap the dividends, royalties and other benefits of its 25% shareholding without having to contribute financially to its construction and operation. In addition, benefits from the project have started accruing to the people of Balochistan well before the mine goes into production through advance royalties and social development funds. Reko Diq is expected to have a life of at least 38 years as a truck-and-shovel open pit operation with processing facilities producing a high-quality copper-gold concentrate. Construction is expected in two phases with a combined process capacity of 90 million tonnes per annum.

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A group of children.
An aerial view of the area around the Reko Diq project.

Water management at Reko Diq

Water for Phases 1 and 2 will be sourced from a sedimentary groundwater system located approximately 70 kilometers to the northwest of the mining area.

The system represents a small and isolated part of a much larger basin and there are no communities or community water sources located within the proposed borefield and its area of influence.

Water in the system is saline and challenging to access, and as such is not suitable for human consumption or most agricultural or industrial uses without significant treatment and abstraction infrastructure. There are currently no planned developments or users of the target groundwater system, and the scope of the Project would not preclude future use of the broader basin by others. Independent international best practice environmental and social impact assessment and hydrogeological studies using physical surveying and remote sensing techniques have demonstrated that there are no surface expressions of the groundwater system and no dependent biodiversity.

The technical and economic challenges in utilizing this water source have been addressed. This groundwater system is considered capable of enabling development and sustaining the operation of the Project, which is expected to add significantly to the socio-economic advancement within the region and country through employment, infrastructure, and services.