Critical minerals news covering lithium, cobalt, rare earths, supply chains, and strategic mineral resource developments.
Western companies are investing in Brazil's rare-earth industry to reduce China's dominance in minerals used in EVs, wind turbines, and advanced weapons. Miners are racing to develop deposits across Brazil, which has the world's second-largest reserves, and aim to build processing plants for separation and magnet manufacturing.
The House passed the Developing Overseas Mineral Investments and New Allied Networks for Critical Energies Act, which establishes a Bureau of Energy Security and Diplomacy and authorizes energy security compacts with partner countries to counter China's dominance in critical minerals.
Chinese researchers found high-purity quartz in Tibet leucogranites with silica content above 99.995%, exceeding thresholds for hi-tech manufacturing. The discovery boosts China's self-sufficiency push for materials used in solar panels and semiconductors, a market currently dominated by the US.
This commentary argues that the White Mesa Mill in Utah could help the U.S. reduce its dependence on China for rare earth mineral processing. It contends that the facility's existing capabilities and expertise position it to become a key domestic processor by 2027, addressing a critical national security and economic vulnerability.