Over 2,000 well samples to be tested for lithium, rare earth and precious metals as OGDCL expands beyond conventional hydrocarbons
ISLAMABAD: Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has signed an agreement with the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) to assess the potential of lithium, rare earth elements, precious metals and other critical minerals in produced water and brine from its oil and gas wells.
The agreement was signed at OGDCL headquarters in Islamabad in the presence of OGDCL Managing Director and CEO Ahmed Hayat Lak, senior management of the company and representatives of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and PINSTECH.
Under the agreement, PINSTECH will conduct advanced Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Element Profiling and Radioactive Element Profiling of produced water and brine collected from selected OGDCL wells.
More than 2,000 samples will be collected from candidate wells to determine the concentration of lithium and other rare and critical elements. The exercise will enable OGDCL to develop a comprehensive geochemical database of its produced water resources and identify wells with potentially higher concentrations of valuable minerals.
The data will also be used to map areas according to mineral concentration and rank candidate wells based on their lithium and rare earth content. This information will provide the technical basis for assessing the feasibility of Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) from produced water and geothermal brines.
The initiative could open a new avenue for OGDCL to extract additional value from its existing oil and gas operations. Produced water, which is generated during hydrocarbon production and has traditionally been managed as a waste stream, is being assessed as a potential source of strategically important minerals.
The agreement is part of OGDCL’s efforts to diversify its resource portfolio beyond conventional hydrocarbons and explore opportunities in critical minerals and new energy resources.
Initial results from OGDCL’s pilot work at the Wahid Bukhsh-01 well have already identified geothermal brine containing 291 milligrams per litre of lithium. OGDCL said the concentration is comparable with leading geothermal-lithium brines internationally.
The expanded sampling programme will provide a broader scientific basis for determining the distribution and concentration of lithium and other elements across candidate wells. The findings could help identify areas that warrant further exploration and technical evaluation.
Lithium is a strategically important mineral used in batteries, electric vehicles, energy-storage systems and other technologies associated with the global transition towards cleaner energy. Rare earth elements are similarly important for advanced manufacturing, electronics and several high-technology applications.
For OGDCL, the initiative represents a move towards evaluating additional mineral value from geological and production resources already associated with its operations. For Pakistan, the exercise could provide new information about the country’s potential domestic sources of critical minerals.
However, the identification of lithium or rare earth elements in produced water does not by itself establish commercial viability. The economic potential will depend on the concentration and recoverability of the minerals, extraction technology, processing costs, infrastructure requirements and prevailing market conditions.
The results of the PINSTECH profiling programme are therefore expected to provide the scientific and technical evidence needed for determining whether further investment in direct lithium extraction and related mineral-recovery projects is warranted.
