NRL has identified copper and gold mineralisation across at least eight porphyry discoveries in Balochistan’s Chagai district, with nearly 25,000 metres of drilling delivering encouraging results as the company advances towards its first mineral resource estimate. One drill hole returned 295 metres of continuous mineralisation grading 0.43% copper and 0.13 grams per tonne of gold, including a 132-metre interval grading 0.83% copper, Chairman Muhammad Ali Tabba told the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026.
The discoveries span 5.6 square kilometres in Darigwan, adjoining NRL’s earlier discovery at the Tang Kaur copper-gold porphyry system. Tabba said further investigations at exploration licence EL214 are expected to establish substantial resources, subject to completing exploration and formal resource estimation.
A joint venture between Fatima Fertilizers, Liberty Mills, and Lucky Cement Ltd, NRL holds five exploration licences in Balochistan, comprising two copper-gold projects, one lead-zinc project and two antimony projects, with exploration work ongoing.
NRL plans to begin environmental, hydrogeological, metallurgical, and geotechnical studies in 2027, aiming to complete a bankable feasibility study by the end of the decade.
Tabba reaffirmed NRL’s previously announced $100 million commitment to mineral exploration in Pakistan and invited domestic and international investors and service providers to discuss emerging opportunities.
While a separate consultant has prepared preliminary resource estimates, the company is withholding their public release pending compliance with international reporting requirements. NRL is progressing towards its maiden mineral resource estimate in accordance with international standards.
The company has also begun developing a predictive artificial intelligence model with Lahore University of Management Sciences to accelerate exploration, building on geological modelling and data gathered through its drilling programme.
“Our ambition is to build a world-class mineral exploration platform and contribute to an integrated mineral value chain, from discovery and mining to processing and onward value addition,” Tabba said.
Tabba said the programme was developing local expertise, with Baloch geologists working alongside international consultants and Pakistani contractors undertaking inclined drilling. The company’s technical workforce is almost entirely indigenous, supporting its ambition to build domestic capabilities that could also serve international exploration projects.
Alongside its exploration programme, NRL is supporting education and community development through the newly established Chagai Foundation. Tabba encouraged industrialists, investors, and corporate partners to contribute to its vision of “Enabling Balochistan”. “The people of Balochistan must share in the opportunities created by their mineral wealth,” he said.
