The Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) and Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC) signed a contract on Tuesday. The agreement will provide analytical support for OGDC’s lithium extraction initiative and strengthen cooperation between the two organisations.
Under the contract, PINSTECH will deliver elemental profiling and radioactive-element analysis services to the energy company.
The signing took place at OGDC Headquarters in Islamabad on September 29. It brings together laboratory expertise and energy-sector capabilities as Pakistan explores opportunities in critical minerals.
Scientific support for lithium extraction
Dr. Qamar-ul-Haque, Director General of PINSTECH, signed the contract on behalf of the institute. Ejaz Abbas Rizvi, General Manager of OGDC’s Supply Chain Management Department, signed for the company.
Dr. Shakeel Abbas Rofi, Member Science at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, witnessed the ceremony. OGDC Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Hayat Lak also attended.
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Rofi and Lak expressed confidence that the agreement would strengthen institutional cooperation. They said combining scientific and technical capabilities would support national objectives.
Established in 1965, PINSTECH operates as a research and development institute of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.
Its role under the latest agreement centres on analytical services. The announcement does not specify the contract’s value, testing schedule or a target date for commercial lithium production.
Institute outlines analytical capabilities
Munib Ahmed Shafique, Head of PINSTECH’s Spectrometry Group, presented the institute’s capabilities in elemental analysis during the ceremony.
Shagufta Shafique, JE Production at OGDC, outlined the company’s scope of work and diversification plans. Her presentation included the lithium extraction initiative involving PINSTECH.
The cooperation aims to support indigenous resource development and explore emerging opportunities in Pakistan’s mineral and energy sectors.
The contract follows earlier cooperation between the organisations on lithium extraction technology.
An August industry update described an agreement to develop technologies for recovering lithium from geothermal brines. That initiative followed reported lithium findings at the Wahid Bakhsh Well in Khairpur, Sindh.
The earlier collaboration focused on assessing commercial viability. OGDC also planned to examine additional geothermal wells to understand the country’s wider lithium resource potential.
Tuesday’s announcement adds a defined analytical-services component to that cooperation. It does not announce the start of commercial extraction.
Why lithium matters for energy development
Lithium plays a central role in rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics and electricity storage systems.
The metal occurs in rocks and underground saline fluids known as brines. Researchers internationally are exploring geothermal brines as a potential source of lithium alongside geothermal energy development.
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Global lithium demand rose by nearly 30% in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency’s 2025 critical minerals outlook.
For Pakistan, the immediate work remains technical assessment and resource evaluation. The PINSTECH contract provides scientific support as OGDC examines whether domestic resources can underpin a commercially viable extraction initiative.
