Rare Earths: Scarcity and Opportunity

O Brasil carrega um dos maiores potenciais do mundo. O desafio está em transformar essa riqueza, com responsabilidade e segurança, em oportunidade para o futuro.

Rare earths, composed of 17 minerals essential for wind turbines, electric cars, semiconductors, medical equipment, and various cutting-edge technologies, continue to be the focus of global markets and the basis for scientific research and innovation.

Brazil has approximately 21 million tons in reserves, but lacks the industrial and technological infrastructure to transform this potential into economic value. Thus, we remain dependent on China, which dominates global extraction and processing.

Despite the potential, there are challenges:

• Environmental licensing

• High costs of extraction and separation technology

• And a long maturation period: up to 16 years for a project to become operational

Today, Brazil has 30 projects underway, but only one in effective commercial operation: the Serra Verde Mine in Goiás, inaugurated in 2024 after 14 years of preparation and US$ 150 million in foreign investment.

In numbers, global demand for critical minerals is expected to reach around US$ 1.2 trillion by 2030, consolidating rare earths as a strategic asset for clean energy, mobility, and technology for the future.

International demand, coupled with the fact that these minerals are the basic raw material for many products and services of the world's most valuable companies, highlights the relevance of the sector and projects a positive long-term outlook.

Investments are not limited to direct investments and can occur through foreign companies listed on the stock exchange (Australia, Canada, USA); through funds and ETFs specializing in critical minerals; or in partnerships in national projects, which still depend heavily on foreign capital.

Our view is that rare earths and other minerals represent not only a high-value natural resource, but also a strategic opportunity for Brazil in the field of sustainability and innovation. This vocation, however, requires caution and still depends on consistent investments in technology and research for the country to become a true international benchmark. Global demand is growing, as these minerals are essential raw materials for strategic sectors, but their exploitation is subject to regulatory, environmental, and market factors that need to be carefully considered.