Brazil and Spain have agreed to deepen cooperation in the critical minerals sector, highlighting a growing push to secure raw materials needed for the energy transition. The new memorandum of understanding covers mining exploration, reuse of critical minerals, research and development, monitoring and investment promotion, while also aiming to support more sustainable mining policies in both countries.
Agreement links resource supply with energy transition goals
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez signed the agreement on Friday as part of a broader effort to strengthen bilateral cooperation in mining and strategic raw materials. Brazil’s mines and energy minister Alexandre Silveira said the partnership is important for the energy transition in both countries.
The memorandum goes beyond simple resource access. It includes cooperation on exploration, mineral reuse, technology development, research, monitoring and investment calls. That gives the agreement both an upstream mining angle and a downstream industrial policy angle, which is increasingly important as countries try to build more secure and traceable critical minerals supply chains.
The two sides also want to develop public policies focused on sustainable mining, including traceability and decarbonization. That points to a wider trend in the critical minerals sector, where access to raw materials is no longer enough on its own. Governments and industrial buyers increasingly want lower-carbon, more transparent and better-regulated supply.
Brazil’s resource base gives the deal wider market relevance
Brazil enters this cooperation with a strong resource position. According to the Brazilian geological service SGB, the country holds the world’s largest niobium reserves and production, while also ranking second in rare earths and graphite reserves, third in nickel and sixth in lithium.
That makes Brazil a strategically important partner for countries and industries looking to diversify critical minerals supply away from more concentrated or geopolitically sensitive sources. For Spain, the agreement could help support long-term access to materials linked to batteries, magnets, power systems and other energy transition technologies.
The investment case is also significant. Brazilian mining institute Ibram estimates that critical minerals could attract $21.3bn in investment by 2030. If that capital is deployed effectively, Brazil could strengthen its role not only as a mineral producer but also as a more important player in processing, sustainability standards and energy transition supply chains.
SuperMetalPrice Commentary
This agreement matters because it connects Europe’s need for secure critical minerals supply with Brazil’s large resource base. The most important point is that the partnership is not limited to mining output. It also includes traceability, decarbonization and policy coordination, which are becoming central to future supply agreements.
The next issue to watch is whether this cooperation leads to concrete investment projects, processing partnerships or offtake arrangements. That is where the real market impact will emerge.
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