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A partnership between the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and the Financing Agency for Studies and Projects (Finep) will boost the development of minerals such as lithium, nickel and graphite, essential for decarbonisation and energy transformation, by financing projects at different stages of investment. Brazils Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) has announced an investment of R$5 billion (around US$825 million) to develop businesses that promote the transformation of strategic minerals for the energy transition and decarbonization of the Brazilian economy. The partnership, signed by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and the Financing Agency for Studies and Projects (Finep) and launched last Tuesday, is in line with the growing global demand for minerals such as lithium, rare earths, nickel, graphite and silicon, essential for the manufacture of batteries, photovoltaic cells, permanent magnets and other components essential for sustainable technologies. We know that there is no energy transition without mining, and Brazil, with its vast wealth of strategic minerals such as lithium, niobium, copper and graphite, is at the heart of this process. In the current global scenario of decarbonization and energy transition, we have a great opportunity to attract investments for the Brazilian mineral sector, reaffirming our position as a world power and contributing to the construction of a greener and more sustainable world, said the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira. The public announcement of the call for proposals is now available and includes funding for projects at different stages, from large-scale industrial plants to research and studies for new industrial capacities. The initiative seeks to leverage investments between five and ten times the amount initially available, mobilizing resources for all stages, from research and development (R&D) of new technologies to the implementation of demonstration and industrial-scale plants. Brazil is the seventh country in the world with the largest lithium reserves. The mineral is found in the Jequitinhonha Valley, in Minas Gerais; in the province of Borborema, located between the states of Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará; and in the province of Solonópole, also in Ceará. The resources and reserves of these locations amount to more than 1 million tons. Currently, Brazils production is 2,200 tons per year, the 5th largest in the world, but with the production of new lithium companies in Brazil, the country could reach third place in the world, which will meet the growing demand of the countrys electric vehicle fleet. |
