OGDC, PINSTECH join hands to advance lithium extraction initiative

Over 2,000 samples to be analysed to map lithium and rare-earth concentrations and assess feasibility of direct lithium extraction

Hamid Khan Wazir

ISLAMABAD: Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC) has signed a contract with the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) for the hiring of advanced Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Element Profiling and Radioactive Element Profiling services.

The signing ceremony was held at OGDC Headquarters on Tuesday to strengthen institutional cooperation, including analytical support for OGDC’s lithium extraction initiative.

Established in 1965, PINSTECH is a premier research and development institute of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). Under the contract, PINSTECH will provide elemental profiling and radioactive-element analysis services to OGDC.

More than 2,000 samples will be collected from candidate wells for the presence of lithium and other rare and critical earth metals, the company said. The exercise will build a comprehensive geochemical database of OGDC’s produced water, rank wells by lithium and rare earth content, and map areas of high to low concentration, providing the technical basis for evaluating the feasibility of Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE).

OGDCL said that the expanded profiling effort is aimed at turning produced water, long treated as a waste stream from oil and gas operations, into a potential source of critical minerals.

“The agreement comes as OGDC expands its diversification beyond conventional hydrocarbons into minerals and new energy resources, including lithium and rare earths recovered from produced water and geothermal brines,” read the statement.

OGDCL said that the Wahid Bukhsh-01 well, its pilot well, has already identified geothermal brine containing 291 mg/L of lithium, a concentration comparable to leading geothermal-lithium brines internationally.

The contract signing was witnessed by Dr. Shakeel Abbas Rofi, Member (Science), PAEC, and Ahmed Hayat Lak, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, OGDC. Dr. Qamar-ul-Haque, Director General, PINSTECH, and Ejaz Abbas Rizvi, General Manager, Supply Chain Management Department, OGDC, signed the contract on behalf of their respective organisations.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Rofi and Lak expressed confidence that the contract would strengthen cooperation between PINSTECH and OGDC by bringing together their respective scientific and technical capabilities in support of national objectives. Munib Ahmed Shafique, Head of the Spectrometry Group at PINSTECH, gave a presentation on the institute’s capabilities in elemental analysis.

Shagufta Shafique, JE (Production), OGDC, presented an overview of the company’s scope of work and diversification plans, including its lithium extraction initiative in collaboration with PINSTECH. The cooperation brings together PINSTECH’s analytical expertise and OGDC’s sectoral capabilities to explore emerging opportunities in Pakistan’s mineral and energy sectors. The initiative is expected to support the development of indigenous resources and contribute to broader national objectives.