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Preliminary License Granted Unanimously by the CMI of Copam After Meeting of Over Seven Hours Allows Progress of Colossus and Caldeira Projects by Australian Miners Viridis and Meteoric in Poços de Caldas and Caldas in Southern Minas Gerais
The State Environmental Policy Council granted this Friday (19) a preliminary license, unanimously, to rare earth mining projects in Southern Minas, allowing Australian companies to proceed in Poços de Caldas and Caldas after months of analysis.
The decision was made by the CMI of Copam after a meeting lasting over seven hours, allowing the projects of miners Viridis Mining and Minerals and Meteoric Resources, aimed at extracting rare earths in the region.
Approval After Removal from Agenda and Additional Requests
The projects were initially scheduled for November but were removed from the agenda after requests for additional information made by agencies involved in the process, including the MPF, which delayed the final deliberation.
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USA and China compete for Brazil over resources that could be worth trillions — rare earths put the country at the center of a global dispute
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After China, it’s now the turn of the USA to ‘secure’ a share of Brazil’s natural resources: the country buys critical rare earths for R$ 3 billion and enters the center of the global technology dispute.
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Rare earths are in everything, from cell phones to bullet trains, and what almost no one realizes is why they have become the target of such a delicate global war.
The preliminary license was granted by the Commission on Mining Activities of the State Environmental Policy Council, responsible for assessing environmental impacts and the initial viability of mining projects in the state.
Colossus Project Covers 228.62 km² in Poços de Caldas
The project by Viridis, called Colossus, anticipates 228.62 square kilometers of mining licenses in Poços de Caldas, focusing on the extraction of ion adsorbing clays for rare earth production.
Rare earths correspond to a group of 17 chemical elements considered strategic for the manufacturing of technologies such as electric cars, wind turbines, and cell phones, sectors that are globally expanding.
Caldeira Project Advances in Caldas
The venture by Meteoric Resources was named Caldeira and also received preliminary license approval, allowing the advancement of the next stages of environmental licensing in the municipality of Caldas.
In a statement released after the approval, Viridis stated that it will continue providing all necessary clarifications to ensure proper monitoring of the subsequent stages, including executive projects and environmental control programs.
Geopolitical Context Drives New Projects
Currently, China is the world’s largest producer of rare earths, a scenario that has led other countries to seek alternatives for strategic and geopolitical reasons, accelerating new projects outside the Asian axis.
With the preliminary license granted, the projects in Southern Minas enter an initial but essential phase to assess impacts, define environmental measures, and advance in the regulatory process, in a sector seen as increasingly strategic.
Source: CNN
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