Brazilian Rare Earths Limited (BRE) has announced it has agreed on major export approvals and partnerships for its industry-leading rare earth elements projects.
BRE has secured official registration and consent from The Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission, enabling BRE to export its mineral products, such as rare earths/monazite concentrates.
The company has also established a non-binding MoU with Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB), the state-owned Brazilian nuclear company.
INB is responsible for all aspects of the production and commercialisation of nuclear materials in Brazil, including the approvals for exporting any mineral ore or concentrate containing nuclear materials.
The MoU will focus on potentially valuable uranium co-products from BRE’s rare earth projects in the Rocha da Rocha province.
Brazilian Rare Earths’ MD and CEO, Bernardo da Veiga, commented: “The granting of the export licence and the partnership with INB marks an important milestone for BRE.
“We look forward to working closely with INB and appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the development of Brazil’s untapped critical mineral resources, including the potential to leverage INB’s extensive experience in uranium development to investigate the potential for downstream processing capacity in Brazil.”
Rare earth export agreement
This authorisation grants BRE the necessary approvals to export high-grade mineral samples to international laboratories for further testing.
This supports future production-scale exports, contingent on standard local business and logistical procedures.
Details of MoU with INB
Under the terms of the MoU, BRE and INB have agreed on several key points. Firstly, BRE’s development plan focuses on producing and exporting rare earth concentrate for downstream processing.
Additionally, BRE’s uranium co-product may be offered to INB, domestically or internationally, based on commercial terms that the two parties will negotiate, contingent on economic feasibility.
INB and BRE will also negotiate a compensation agreement to cover BRE’s costs for producing and separating the uranium by-product, including an agreed profit margin.
INB will assist BRE in obtaining the necessary regulatory permits and approvals for the development of BRE’s rare earth projects.
Both parties have agreed to collaborate on researching processing methods for rare earth concentrates, including those with a uranium co-product, to enhance downstream processing capacity in Brazil.
Furthermore, INB will, where feasible, provide BRE access to its research and development facilities.
INB’s President, Adauto Seixas, added: “Brazil has a long-standing, successful nuclear power industry. BRE’s discovery may provide Brazil with significant additional uranium resources and INB will work with BRE to ensure that it can be developed for the benefit of all Brazilians.”
