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Brazil Has One of the Largest Rare Earth Reserves in the World, but Faces Barriers in Energy, Logistics, and Regulations That Could Delay Its Entry into the New Global Race for Strategic Minerals.
The world is undergoing a new race for strategic resources. At the center of this dispute are energy, minerals, and logistics. In this scenario, Brazil appears as a powerhouse full of riches, but also of obstacles. Rare earths, increasingly sought after by major economies, are a clear example of this.
Despite the enormous potential, the country still struggles to transform its reserves into real development.
Meanwhile, global changes accelerate the consumption of energy and metals. And this places Brazil in front of choices that can be costly in the future.
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The largest precious metals mine under construction in the world is situated on a layer of ore 25 times thicker than common mines in South Africa, and has just connected a third shaft that will quintuple the extraction of platinum, palladium, and gold.
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The most abundant mineral on Earth makes up about 38% of the planet’s volume and dominates the mantle hundreds of kilometers deep, but it is so inaccessible that humanity only managed to touch it thanks to a meteorite that fell in Australia in 1879.
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China wants to transform coal waste into a source of critical metals and use industrial ash to extract germanium, lithium, gallium, and aluminum used in batteries, chips, and electric vehicles.
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Without producing a single ton of copper today, Argentina wants to become one of the ten largest producers of the metal in the world by 2035, betting on the Andes deposits and billion-dollar incentives from the Milei government to unlock projects that have been stalled for decades.
Rare Earths Gain Weight in the New Geopolitics
According to Pedro Rodrigues, director of the Brazilian Infrastructure Center (CBIE), the volatility of commodities today comes from abroad. “It’s 100% external scenario,” he summarized. In the case of oil, he points to a downward trend in prices. However, in metals, the movement is the opposite.
Copper, uranium, and lithium have gained strategic value. This is due to the 4.0 Revolution and artificial intelligence.
“The demand for energy today in the world is brutal because of the development of these new technologies, among them data centers… Without energy, we won’t have data centers, and we won’t have artificial intelligence learning,” he stated.
In this context, rare earths enter as key pieces. They are used in cell phones, electric cars, turbines, and military equipment.
Brazil, according to Rodrigues, has the third-largest reserve on the planet. Even so, the country still does not have a prominent space in global forums on critical minerals.
Fragile Regulations and Delay in Exploration
Having wealth underground does not guarantee prosperity. For Rodrigues, the problem lies in the lack of clear rules and legal security. Without this, investors hold back.
Moreover, Brazil still faces difficulties in efficiently regulating the exploration of rare earths.
In the environmental field, he states that the legislation is robust but very slow. For him, the excess of bureaucracy and politicization stalls strategic projects.
Still, he argues that the country needs to improve its external communication. “Brazil preserves forests much more than France… we need to be protagonists of the narrative,” he said.
Logistics and Energy as Bottlenecks
Even with rare earths and other valuable minerals, Brazil faces another major problem: infrastructure. The dependence on trucks makes everything more expensive. There is a lack of railways, waterways, and pipelines. This reduces competitiveness.
Natural gas also weighs heavily. As it is extracted along with oil, mainly offshore, the cost is high. This harms the national production of fertilizers. Therefore, Rodrigues suggests stimulating production on land and even shale.
He also rejects the term “energy transition.” He prefers to talk about “energy addition.” “The world no longer talks about energy transition… we cannot afford to exclude one source in favor of another.” For him, oil, solar, and wind need to coexist.
With global demand skyrocketing, rare earths, energy, and minerals have become a power game that Brazil has yet to decide whether to just watch or lead.
Who is to blame for Brazil remaining so indifferent to its own rare earth reserves? And what can be done to change this situation?
Se o B O Z O fosse o presidente , já teria entregado essas reservas ao Trump