Reko Diq Mining Project (ADB-58013-001)

Regions
  • South Asia
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Countries
  • Pakistan
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Specific Location
Humai, Mashki Chah, Nok Chah, and Darband Chah; Chagai District of Balochistan Province
Whenever identified, the area within countries where the impacts of the investment may be experienced. Exact locations of projects may not be identified fully or at all in project documents. Please review updated project documents and community-led assessments.
Financial Institutions
  • Asian Development Bank (ADB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Approved
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
A
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Aug 21, 2025
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Reko Diq Mining Company
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Energy
  • Mining
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 410.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Loan Amount (USD)
$ 410.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Bank Documents
Media Documents
Other Related Projects
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ ADB website

Updated in EWS Jan 19, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Aug 21, 2025

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

As stated by the ADB, the Reko Diq Mining Project, located in Balochistan province of Pakistan, is a major copper-gold mining initiative led by Barrick Gold Corporation, operating through the Reko Diq Mining Company (RDMC). Reconstituted in December 2022 under a framework agreement with the Governments of Pakistan and Balochistan, the Project is jointly owned, with Barrick holding 50% and the remaining 50% shared among Pakistani stakeholders, including the Government of Balochistan (GoB) and three state-owned enterprises of the Government of Pakistan (GoP).

The Project involves the development of a truck-and-shovel open-pit copper-gold mine, supported by processing facilities, mine water supply systems, and associated infrastructure. The mine will produce high-quality copper-gold concentrate for export, utilizing existing road and rail networks for transporting supplies and product. The concentrate will be transported approximately 1,350 kilometers by rail to Port Qasim in Karachi for export.

With an expected initial life of 38 years, the Project has significant exploration potential and will be developed in two phases. Phase 1 will process 45 million metric tons (MMT) annually, followed by Phase 2, doubling the capacity to a total of 90 MMT per annum. Construction of Phase 1 will take approximately three years, targeting operations by the end of 2028, with Phase 2 commencing immediately thereafter and taking three additional years to complete.

The Reko Diq Mining Project is located in the Chagai District of Balochistan Province, Pakistan, approximately 70 kilometres southeast of Nok Kundi and near the borders of Iran (40 km) and Afghanistan (35 km). The nearest community to the mine site is Humai, located 20 kilometres away, with other nearby settlements including Mashki Chah, Nok Chah, and Darband Chah.

Early Warning System Project Analysis
For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

The ADB categorized the project E&S risks as follows:

Environment - A
Involuntary Resettlement - C
Indigenous Peoples - C

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.
Private Actors Description
A Private Actor is a non-governmental body or entity that is the borrower or client of a development project, which can include corporations, private equity and banks. This describes the private actors and their roles in relation to the project, when private actor information is disclosed or has been further researched.

Reko Diq Mining Company is jointly owned by: 

  • Balochistan Minerals Resources Limited
  • Barrick (50%)
  • Government Holdings Pakistan Limited
  • Oil & Gas Development Company Limited
  • Pakistan Petroleum Limited

 


Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

ADB Team Leader:

Ali Malik
Email: alimalik@adb.org 

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.adb.org/forms/request-information-form

ADB has a two-stage appeals process for requesters who believe that ADB has denied their request for information in violation of its Access to Information Policy. You can learn more about filing an appeal at: https://www.adb.org/site/disclosure/appeals

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF ADB

The Accountability Mechanism is an independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an Asian Development Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Accountability Mechanism, they may investigate to assess whether the Asian Development Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can learn more about the Accountability Mechanism and how to file a complaint at: http://www.adb.org/site/accountability-mechanism/main.

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