NRL secures exploration lease in Balochistan

National Resources Limited (NRL), a subsidiary of YB Pakistan Limited, Reliance Commodities (Pvt) Limited, and Liberty Mills Limited, has been granted a mineral exploration lease in Chagai district, Balochistan. NRL’s application for the lease, submitted in early 2022, has now been approved following the completion of all legal and procedural requirements.

The awarded area spans 500 square kilometers in the Chagai region, and NRL’s ambitious project aims to attract significant investments into the mining sector, providing both direct and indirect employment opportunities, particularly in Balochistan. With the feasibility in mind, NRL also intends to refine the extracted minerals locally before exporting them.

NRL has already obtained No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from both the Environmental and Forest & Wildlife departments, enabling the company to commence exploration activities. The company’s board has greenlit an exploration plan, and they are currently in the process of hiring exploration resources to kick-start physical operations.

A spokesperson for NRL stated the company’s commitment to sourcing its workforce locally, especially from Balochistan, while also enlisting the support of a prominent foreign consultancy firm to oversee the entire exploration process. This foreign consultancy’s primary responsibility will be to train local engineers, equipping them to independently manage future exploration endeavours.

Read The black hole that Balochistan is

According to a press statement, the company expressed optimism that this award will inspire other domestic Pakistani companies to venture into the mining sector. The mining sector has been identified as a priority area for reviving the national economy, and the Sindh Infrastructure Development Company (SIFC) has developed a roadmap to modernise and streamline the entire mining chain, from lease applications to delivering value-added products. “We aim to match SIFC’s vision of mining and resulting exports contributing to at least 5% of the national GDP,” said the statment. The company expressed its gratitude to the Government of Balochistan and SIFC for the lease award.

The company is also formulating an extensive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) plan to benefit the local communities, said the statement. The plan includes the construction of a model NRL compound in the area, featuring a school, playground, clinic, and reverse osmosis (RO) plant.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2023.

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