Connect with us

Business

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia expected to make progress on Reko Diq deal

Published

10 months ago

on

  • Progress on deal expected during 3-day mineral forum in Riyadh.
  • Energy minister leads high-level Pakistani delegation. 
  • Delegation likely to discuss KSA’s interest in building refinery.

ISLAMABAD: Talks with Saudi Arabia on a potential investment deal in the Reko Diq copper and gold project are expected to progress during a three-day mineral forum that began today in Riyadh, The News reported citing an energy ministry official on Tuesday. 

A high-level Pakistani delegation led by caretaker Energy Minister Muhammad Ali is attending the Future Minerals Forum (FMF), a platform to promote mineral value chains in Africa, Western and Central Asia, which will be held from January 9 to 11 in Riyadh.

The secretary of the petroleum division and officials from the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC), Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) will also be part of the delegation. 

The delegation is also likely to discuss Saudi Arabia’s interest in building a refinery in Pakistan, the official said.

“Pakistan authorities may also take up this issue of paramount importance with Aramco officials during the visit.” Aramco wants the participation of Sinopec — a Chinese company in the refinery project and Pakistan has agreed to it.

Saudi Arabia is seeking to attract SR63.7 billion ($170 billion) worth of investment in the mining industry by 2030 to help the country capitalise on its wealth of mineral resources, the total value of which is estimated to exceed SR4.88 trillion ($1.3 trillion), an official said.

In 2022, the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) and Ma’aden, a Saudi-owned mining company, developed an understanding for a survey to locate the treasures of the minerals.

Apart from attending the Forum, the official said, the relevant authorities of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan during the visit will also deliberate on the possible investment in the Reko Diq project and both countries may strike a deal to this effect.

In addition, the visiting authorities are also likely to take up with Saudi Arabia its interest in installing a state-of-the-art deep conversion refinery in Pakistan. The SIFC is highly keen to sell government shares to Saudi investors to enhance the footprints of Saudi investment in Pakistan.

The investment that is to be made by Saudi investors (KSA) will be treated as a strategic investment, one official stated to The News, while quoting SIFC’s top official.

Under the revised agreement, 50% of shares are held by the Canadian company Barrick Gold Corporation whereas Antofagasta of Chile has exited the project in return for $900 million deposited by three entities of the federal government — OGDCL, PPL and Government Holdings Private Limited.

These entities hold a 25% share in the project whereas the same number of shares are owned by Balochistan. Of them, 15% are on a fully-funded basis and 10% on a free carried basis.

The Energy Minister Ali and top officials of the power division have played a pivotal role in the directives of SIFC to make an agreement of the government of Pakistan with K Electric and resolve all its issues to facilitate its main owner which is Aljomaih Power Limited Company of Saudi Arabia.

It was one of the conditions from the Kingdom that Pakistan should first facilitate Aljomaih Power Limited of Saudi Arabia by resolving all issues of KE for more investment in Pakistan in mining, refinery, agriculture and other sectors.

The majority shares — 66.4% — of the company are listed in the PSX owned by KES Power, a consortium of investors including Aljomaih Power Limited of Saudi Arabia, National Industries Group (Holding), Kuwait, and the Infrastructure and Growth Capital Fund (IGCF).

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Business

Dar chairs the CCOP meeting; Blue World’s bid offer of Rs.10 billion is rejected.

Published

3 days ago

on

By

The Foreign Minister/Deputy Prime Minister chaired the Cabinet Committee on Privatization meeting.

Other committee members who attended the conference included the Federal Secretaries of several Divisions, the Ministers of Finance and Revenue, Industry and Food, Commerce, Power, and Privatization.

The CCOP took the PC Board’s recommendation into consideration and suggested that Blue World’s bid of 10 billion rupees for the sale of 60% of PIACL’s shares be rejected. The bid was rejected by the CCOP, who chose to follow the PC Board’s advice.

The government’s determination to sell out PIACL through government-to-government or privatization was reaffirmed by the CCOP.

The CCOP was pleased with the Aviation Division’s evaluation of PIACL’s sound financial standing.

Additionally, the CCOP established a committee, chaired by the Minister of State for Finance, to assess potential transaction possibilities for the privatization of the Roosevelt Hotel and the appropriate modes of adoption in light of existing legal rules.

Prior to its subsequent meeting, the CCOP also ordered that all difficulties be resolved and an agreement for the selling of services to an international hotel be concluded.

Continue Reading

Business

The KSE-100 Index has surged by 790 points, resulting in an all-time peak for the stock exchange.

Published

3 days ago

on

By

The benchmark KSE-100 Index increased by 790 points, marking a new all-time high for the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) at 94,982 points.

The record-breaking performance underscores a surge of optimism and investor confidence in the stock market.

As investors responded to favorable economic signals, the market experienced a significant increase of over 500 points in early trading. Later, the KSE-100 Index reached another record level of 94,786 points after adding 594 points to its upward trajectory.

This positive development comes as the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves saw an increase of $84 million, reaching $11.26 billion during the week ending November 8, according to data released by the central bank on Thursday.

This represents an increase of 0.75% from the previous week. In addition, the nation’s total liquid foreign reserves experienced a modest increase, increasing by $33.7 million or 0.21% week-on-week to $15.97 billion.

In contrast, commercial banks’ reserves experienced a decline of $50.3 million or 1.06%, ultimately settling at $4.71 billion.

Furthermore, the economic team of Pakistan has expressed confidence in the discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik, in an exclusive conversation with Samaa TV, claimed talks were moving in a positive direction.

Highlighting improvements in Pakistan’s economic conditions, Malik noted substantial progress over the past six months to a year. He emphasized that Pakistan’s current economic situation has seen significant enhancement, with a reduced current account deficit of only $100 million in the first quarter, a reflection of the government’s strategy to increase remittances and boost exports.

Malik shared that discussions with the IMF are primarily focused on external financing, and while there have been speculations about a potential mini-budget or an increase in the petroleum levy, he clarified that these are currently premature considerations.

Continue Reading

Business

Positive IMF negotiations propel KSE-100 Index above 94,000 points

Published

4 days ago

on

By

As a result of investors’ optimism about the reported progress in the continuing talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) experienced a robust surge.

The benchmark KSE-100 Index of the PSX, which tracks market sentiment, rose 713 points to a new record high of 94,068 points, breaking above the 94,000-point barrier, as the trading session began.

Early in the day, the stock market began its upward trajectory as the KSE-100 Index steadily rose, gaining 574 points to reach 93,932 points. A possible agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) might lead to more fiscal stability and back Pakistan’s economic reforms, which is why investors are so optimistic about the country’s future.

Officials from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) informed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday that the government would not be introducing a mini-budget and would instead continue to aim to collect Rs12,970 billion in taxes each year.

In line with continuing discussions with the Fund, FBR sources revealed that petroleum goods will not be subject to the General Sales Tax (GST).

The fact that Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio has increased from 8.8% to 10.3%, a 1.5% gain viewed as a favorable sign of Pakistan’s fiscal policies, has reportedly pleased the IMF, who has voiced satisfaction at Pakistan’s recent economic performance.

Continue Reading

Trending