Critical minerals are becoming a central component of international trade, industrial and security policy.
A majority of the trade and economic cooperation instruments identified globally since the beginning of 2025 have addressed access to critical raw materials or the resilience of mineral supply chains. Although these minerals remain essential to renewable energy and electrification, demand is also increasingly driven by artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, conventional industry and defense technologies.
This broader geopolitical context may create an opportunity for Brazil, which has significant reserves of lithium, nickel, graphite, rare earth elements and other strategic minerals.
However, geological potential alone will not be sufficient. Projects will need to combine extraction with processing capacity, infrastructure, environmental licensing, technology and credible long-term offtake arrangements.
Impact on Brazil
Brazil may benefit from:
- bilateral cooperation and investment agreements
- international demand for diversified mineral supply
- development of domestic processing and refining capacity
- integration with battery, energy and advanced manufacturing chains
- new project finance and strategic partnership opportunities
At the same time, export restrictions, local processing policies and geopolitical alignment may materially affect project bankability and market access.
Photo: Canva
