Brazil also wants to be a big player in battery metals | world | WORLD

Brazil, the largest iron ore producer after Australia, wants to attract more exploration and development of key minerals for the clean energy transformation. To do this, the government is reviewing geological information, opening inactive areas and working on indigenous consultation processes, he said. Pedro Paulo Dias Mesquitasecretary of geology, mining and transformation of minerals of the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Brazil.

For now, Brazil is only a minor player in the lithium sectorwhich is overshadowed by Chile and Argentina, where the desert salt flats contain huge reserves of brine. But the government is supporting hard rock projects in the state of Minas Gerais and wait one “great transformation”Mesquita said in an interview on Sunday. Copper and nickel are also part of the mineral diversification ambition from Brazil, with a geological potential that far exceeds production.

“I expect at least five big projects in each of them in Brazil in the next 10 years”said Mesquita, referring to copper and nickel. A nickel project being developed by Horizon Minerals Plc “it’s just the beginning”he claimed.

In comments made from Torontowhere he attends the mining conference of the Prospectors & Developers Association of CanadaMesquita said there is a lot of interest from potential investors as the world struggles to produce enough of the raw materials needed for decarbonization. The secretary’s schedule at the conference is packed, with back-to-back meetings with companies of all sizes, she said.

While other Latin American nations like Chile and Peru seek to raise mining taxes and tighten environmental protections, the Brazilian government of President Jair Bolsonaro It is committed to opening new areas, eliminating regulatory barriers and offering investors a safe harbor.

“If the business environment deteriorates there, of course it is an opportunity”Mesquita said, referring to Chile and Peru.

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