Brazil and U.S. Renew Joint Exploration for Critical Minerals
Brazil and the United States are resuming joint efforts to explore critical minerals in Brazil, focusing on key elements like lithium and rare earths. Initial partnerships and studies will continue in designated regions, emphasizing scientific cooperation and future scalability. The initiative aims to reduce dependency on Chinese resources and enhance Brazil’s position in the global minerals market.
Brazil and the United States are poised to resume collaborative research aimed at locating critical minerals within Brazilian territory. An agreement signed last year initially planned studies in four Brazilian states: Minas Gerais, Goiás, and a region encompassing Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba. The partnership is specifically targeting key minerals such as rare earth elements, lithium, tin, and cassiterite, with initial sample collection already initiated last year.
In January, Brazilian authorities were informed by the U.S. Department of State of the Trump administration’s decision to suspend the cooperation. However, in early March, the U.S. government reestablished the partnership. Francisco Valdir Silveira, the director of Geology and Mineral Resources at Brazil’s Geological Survey (SGB), stated, “We received a delegation from the U.S. government, which informed us that all aspects of our agreement would be honored because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that agreements already in progress must be completed.”
Mr. Silveira further explained that the decision to proceed was made due to the prior signing of the agreement, allocation of funding, and the engagement of Deloitte for consulting services. Brazil was informed about the resumption of cooperation during a meeting at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC 2025) Annual Convention, a prominent event in the global mining industry held from March 2 to 5 in Toronto.
Critical minerals are vital for producing electric vehicle batteries, mobile phones, solar panels, semiconductors, and military technologies. Mr. Silveira emphasized Brazil’s potential to emerge as a significant global producer of rare earth elements, a market currently monopolized by China. The U.S. administration under President Biden has been actively pursuing agreements to ensure access to critical mineral deposits in foreign nations, aiming to diminish its reliance on Chinese imports. Additionally, the topic of critical minerals has surfaced in negotiations between the U.S. and Ukraine.
In Brazil, the agreement exists as a limited-scale pilot project involving U.S. and Brazilian teams collaborating to identify mineral deposits. The project has established three regions for initial research phases, which will be conducted by specialists from both the SGB and the U.S. Geological Survey. The first exploration area is the Seridó/Borborema region, focused on lithium, tantalum, and niobium, with fieldwork having already occurred.
The Alto Paranaíba region in Minas Gerais has been designated for investigations into rare earth element deposits, while Goiás is recognized for its tin province and further research into rare earths, tin, and cassiterite reserves. Beyond field research, the partnership will also include specialized training for three SGB geophysicists by U.S. Geological Survey experts. Further, the U.S. government is sponsoring five scholarships for Brazilian researchers to explore mineral deposits in Finland, which share geological characteristics with Brazil.
The partnership was initiated after a visit to Brazil last year by Geoffrey Pyatt, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources at the State Department. Although U.S. financial contributions to the project are beneath $1 million, Mr. Silveira emphasized that the primary value lies in fostering scientific collaboration and establishing a foundation for larger projects to follow.
In conclusion, the renewed cooperation between Brazil and the United States on critical mineral exploration highlights a strategic partnership aimed at enhancing resource development in Brazil. This initiative serves not only to bolster both nations’ resource security but also positions Brazil as a potential leader in the production of rare earth elements amid global shifts in mineral supply chains. By focusing on scientific collaboration and training, this partnership lays the groundwork for future mineral exploration projects.
Original Source: valorinternational.globo.com
