The Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDC), the state-owned energy company of Pakistan, has signed an agreement with the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) to develop technology for the commercial-scale extraction of lithium from geothermal brine. This comes just a few weeks after the OGDC announced that it has confirmed the presence of high concentration lithium-bearing brines from a high-temperature geothermal well in the Khairpur district in Sindh.
According to OGDC, geochemical analysis of the produced formation water from the Wahid Bakhsh well in Khaipur indicated a lithium concentration of 275 mg/L. This is well above the concentration considered sufficient for commercial evaluation. Thus, this prompted the OGDC to accelerate exploration activities and develop lithium extraction technology locally. Moreover, the OGDC has identified 8 to 10 additional wells in Sindh for exploration to further determine the extent of the lithium-bearing formation.
OGDC officials, however, cautioned that extensive technical work is still needed before commercial lithium production can begin. The comprehensive evaluation programme will include brine chemistry studies, reservoir mapping, resource confirmation, and economic feasibility studies. If the exploration programme confirms the commerciality of the lithium reserves, this could be a strong boost to Pakistan’s position in the global supply chain for critical minerals.
With this discovery, Pakistan aims to join the list of countries developing technology and exploring the feasibility of extracting battery-grade lithium from geothermal brine. Significant progress has so far been made in Germany, the UK, France, and the USA.
Source: The News Pakistan, Bloom Pakistan, and OGDC via LinkedIn
