76,125 mt copper, 6 mt gold, 9.6 mt silver produced from Saindak area

ISLAMABAD: The Saindak Metals Limited (SML) has produced 76,125.994 metric tons (mt) copper, 6.093 mt gold and 9.693 mt silver from the Saindak area, district Chaghi of the Balochistan province, during last five years.

"The total blister copper extraction/production stood at 76,141.780 mt from the year 2011 to 2015, and total the income/sale/revenue remained $834.209 million," official sources in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources told APP.

As a result of exploration carried out in the Saindak area by the SML, previously known as the Resource Development Corporation, they informed that the quantity of mineral deposit/copper ore was estimated at 412 million tons.

"Accounting for the ore extracted during 13 years of the Saindak Copper-Gold project operation, the available copper ore deposit is estimated at 353 million tons," they said.

The sources said the mineral deposit found in the project area contained copper, gold and silver, adding that the ore was processed to produce blister copper.

Giving break-up of the production, they said in the year 2011, the production of copper, gold and silver stood at 17,011.176 mt, 1.369 mt and 2.175 mt respectively.

In 2012, the SML produced 17,829.277 mt copper, 1.439 mt gold and 2.354 silver. While, 15,738.461 mt copper, 1.261 mt gold and 1.988 silver in the year 2013.

Whereas, the production of the three minerals in the year 2014 remained 13,275.492 mt, 1.009 mt and 1.609 mt respectively. The company produced 12,271.588 mt copper, 1.015 mt gold and 9.693 mt silver in the year 2015, they added.