Saindak operator MCC Resources Development Co Ltd (MRDL) has pledged to expand efforts in order to develop Pakistan’s mining sector.
Addressing a ceremony to mark the company’s 20 years in the country, MRDL Chairman He Xuping said, “We are committed to building a bigger and strong mining industry for Pakistan.”
The MRDL executive said the company has trained a large number of mining engineers and experts who will meet the mining sector’s future needs as a result of the project in Saindak. “Over the past two decades, the company has standardized its management, fulfilled cooperation agreements, and worked together with SML for development while maintaining stability and high efficiency,” he stated.
He recalled that the mine had been closed for many years but the Chinese and Pakistani teams worked hard to achieve systematic rehabilitation of the entire production process in just 11 months, which normally would have taken three years. Xuping added that MRDL was entrusted by the two governments with the site in 2002, marking the commencement of “stable operations” in Saindak, which have continued even after 20 years.
The Saidak copper-gold project has produced over 290,000 tons of blister copper, generated $2.6 billion in foreign exchange, paid more than $500 million to the tenant, created over 1,900 jobs, and spent $1.2 billion on local procurement.
The project has been included in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a “mega project”.
