La Paz, Apr. 28 — Bolivia took the first step to explore and exploit critical minerals together with the United States government and is preparing an agreement today, according to an official source from the Northern nation.
The Office of Economic and Business Affairs of the Washington State Department assured on its X account that Mining Minister Marco Antonio Calderón de la Barca took advantage of a trip to that country to sign a document of intentions.
"Deputy Secretary Caleb Orr and the Bolivian mining minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding on critical minerals in Washington and discussed cooperation on critical minerals," the statement reads.
So far, neither the portal nor the social media accounts of the Bolivian state portfolio have issued any information regarding this.
However, the North American source added that "the United States is committed to working with Bolivia under the leadership of President (Rodrigo) Paz to attract investment that drives prosperity in both the United States and Bolivia, and secure critical mineral supply chains."
These types of minerals and so-called rare earths are essential in a global juncture that is moving toward electromobility from the energy matrix point of view.
At the current time, the quotations of these chemical elements and their compounds are high, and according to various projections, a prosperous market is expected for the coming decades.
According to the publication Brújula Digital, although the country has identified deposits of at least 31 of the 38 registered and standardized critical minerals, there is no specific state plan or regulations for their exploration and exploitation.
It adds that in recent years, minerals such as thorium, niobium, nickel, cobalt, and other elements essential for the technology industry and energy transition have begun to be explored and exploited, albeit on a small scale.
However, it clarifies, many of these projects are located in regions of high biodiversity and indigenous presence, such as Chiquitania, the Pantanal, and the northern Amazon.
According to the publication, this situation led institutions working with indigenous peoples and peasants and promoting family farming to alert about possible land invasions and pollution from the mining industry.
