Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) has reported a copper discovery estimated at 350 million tons in the Dasht-e-Kain area of Balochistan’s Chagai district.
The discovery is based on half of the drilling data collected so far, with copper mineralisation identified at a depth of 500 metres.
FWO’s Chief Executive announced the findings at the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026 in Islamabad.
FWO is carrying out the exploration independently without any joint venture partner. The remaining drilling data is yet to be analysed, which could provide a clearer picture of the deposit’s overall size.
Dasht-e-Kain is located in the Chagai copper belt, which also hosts the Reko Diq copper-gold project and the Saindak mine.
Earlier geological assessments estimated the area’s copper deposits at around 350 million tons, making it one of the major evaluated deposits in the region after Reko Diq and Saindak.
Copper is increasingly important worldwide because of its use in electricity networks, electric vehicles and renewable energy systems. The discovery could add to Pakistan’s potential to attract investment and expand mineral exports.
The announcement comes amid several new mineral discoveries in Chagai. National Resources Limited recently reported copper and gold mineralisation across eight exploration sites, while Mari Energies also announced a copper and gold discovery near Reko Diq.
Meanwhile, 13 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed during the two-day Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum as the government seeks to attract local and foreign investment into the mining sector.
