Saudi Arabia likely to invest US$ one billion in Reko Diq Gold Project

ISLAMABAD, (NNI): Saudi Arabia will invest one billion US dollars in Reko Diq gold and copper project.

Sources at finance ministry said that the OGDCL and the PPL's shares will be sold to Saudi Arabia. "There are preparations for Saudi investment next month," sources said.

The prime minister will constitute a committee with regard to Saudi investment in Reko Diq project, finance ministry's sources said. "The committee will be comprised of the officials from the finance ministry, OGDCL, PPL and the energy ministry," according to sources.

"A summary will be dispatched to the Ministry of Finance and the energy ministry for constitution of the prime minister's committee," sources said. "The committee members will visit Saudi Arabia for final negotiations," sources said.

Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will ink an inter-governmental agreement for investment in Reko Diq project.

Experts believe Reko Diq, contains one of the world's largest untapped reserves of copper and gold.

"Reko Diq is one of the bigger copper-gold undeveloped projects in the world," said Mark Bristow, chief executive of Barrick, which aims to start mining in 2028 subject to an ongoing feasibility study. "It's a very big deal. Any copper mine right now is a big deal."

Last year in December, Pakistan and Barrick Gold Corporation signed $8 billion landmark agreement on Reko Diq project.

Reko Diq is one of the world's largest undeveloped copper-gold mines. The project is being restarted after remaining on hold since 2011.

A delegation of Barrick Gold during meeting a with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif provided an update on the project and stated that the feasibility study will be finished by the end of 2024.

Shehbaz Sharif was informed that preference will be given to local and Balochistandomiciled persons to work on the Reko Diq project.