{"id":68043,"date":"2025-12-10T11:03:53","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T14:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redept.com.br\/blogosfera\/mining-is-top-brazils-big-extractors-see-energy-transition-as-a-chance-to-rebrand\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T11:03:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T14:03:53","slug":"mining-is-top-brazils-big-extractors-see-energy-transition-as-a-chance-to-rebrand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redept.com.br\/blogosfera\/mining-is-top-brazils-big-extractors-see-energy-transition-as-a-chance-to-rebrand\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Mining is top\u2019: Brazil\u2019s big extractors see \u2018energy transition\u2019 as a chance to rebrand"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"container\" data-elementor-id=\"113082\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n<div data-id=\"3c73a68\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n<div>\n<div data-id=\"820f841\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n<div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-id=\"aedaca2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>The mining industry<\/strong> is using COP30 to brand its operations as not only \u201csustainable\u201d but also \u201cessential\u201d for the energy transition. Yet, community groups and social organizations warn of the dangers tied to exploiting so-called critical minerals\u2014impacts already felt in Brazil.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t see the [energy] transition happening without mining,\u201d said Anderson Baranov, CEO of Norsk Hydro, on COP30\u2018s opening day in Bel\u00e9m.<\/p>\n<p>Excitement about Brazil\u2019s reserves of critical minerals was palpable at the discussion tables in the Blue Zone, the official negotiations area at the UN Climate Conference.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of talk that agribusiness is pop, but mining is top. It\u2019s leading the current debates,\u201d Baranov added.<\/p>\n<p>Hydro operates the Alunorte refinery in Barcarena, in the state of Par\u00e1\u2014one of the world\u2019s largest aluminum extraction facilities. Aluminum, along with lithium, copper, rare earths, and others, is regarded as strategic for both the technology and defense sectors.<\/p>\n<div data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"77670\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n<div data-id=\"17a659f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings='{\"background_background\":\"classic\"}'>\n<div>\n<div data-id=\"386385d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div>\n<h2>ASSINE NOSSA NEWSLETTER<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-id=\"6546917\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-id=\"8c2e333\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings='{\"button_width\":\"20\",\"step_next_label\":\"Next\",\"step_previous_label\":\"Previous\",\"button_width_mobile\":\"20\",\"step_type\":\"number_text\",\"step_icon_shape\":\"circle\"}' data-widget_type=\"form.default\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<label for=\"form-field-email\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEmail\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/label><\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"submit\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Submit<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>These minerals underpin products like batteries, solar panels and electric vehicles\u2014key to transitioning away from fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas, which significantly drive the greenhouse effect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMining is top, absolutely,\u201d agreed Marco Braga, vice president of Vale\u2019s Novo Caraj\u00e1s Project. Both he and Baranov spoke on a panel hosted by FIEPA, the Federation of Industries of the State of Par\u00e1, on Monday (Nov. 10) in the Blue Zone.<\/p>\n<p>Vale, Brazil\u2019s largest mining company, is betting on expanding copper mining in the Caraj\u00e1s region of Par\u00e1. \u201cAs the world electrifies\u2014with more data centers\u2014you need more electricity and more copper,\u201d Braga said.<\/p>\n<p>Because the federal government classifies these minerals as \u201cstrategic,\u201d projects targeting them tend to receive government incentives\u2014financial aid and priority during environmental permitting.<\/p>\n<p>This priority is clear in Par\u00e1, where mining projects go to the front of the line during licensing by Semas, the Par\u00e1 State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainability. \u201c[The secretariat] gives internal priority to projects containing a strategic mineral component, which also serves the energy transition,\u201d the agency\u2019s deputy secretary Rodolpho Zahluth Bastos told <strong>Rep\u00f3rter Brasil<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\"src=\"https:\/\/redept.com.br\/blogosfera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rio_Catete_xikrin_mauricio_monteiro_rb-1.jpg\" alt=\"Ind\u00edgenas da Terra Ind\u00edgena Xikrin do Rio Catet\u00e9, em Parauapebas, no Par\u00e1, afirmam que mina da Vale contaminou curso d\u2019\u00e1gua com metais pesados (Foto: Maur\u00edcio Monteiro Filho\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/reporterbrasil.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/rio_Catete_xikrin_mauricio_monteiro_rb-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/reporterbrasil.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/rio_Catete_xikrin_mauricio_monteiro_rb-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/reporterbrasil.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/rio_Catete_xikrin_mauricio_monteiro_rb-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/reporterbrasil.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/rio_Catete_xikrin_mauricio_monteiro_rb-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/redept.com.br\/blogosfera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rio_Catete_xikrin_mauricio_monteiro_rb-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption>Indigenous people from the Xikrin do Rio Catet\u00e9 Indigenous Territory, in Par\u00e1, say that a Vale mine contaminated the watercourse with heavy metals; Vale denies this and claims the issue has already been \u201cthoroughly examined\u201d in the courts (Photo: Maur\u00edcio Monteiro Filho\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil).<br \/><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Mining\u2019s makeover relegates socio-environmental impacts to the background<\/h2>\n<p>So far, communities near mining sites have been excluded from industry-led discussions at COP30.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIndigenous peoples still have no voice in the negotiations,\u201d says Toya Manchineri, general coordinator of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB). Despite an unprecedented level of Indigenous participation at the UN summit, he laments their absence from official talks. \u201cWe are only mentioned. It\u2019s the country representatives and diplomats who have a voice,\u201d Manchineri adds.<\/p>\n<p>Elisangela Soldatelli, coordinator of the Latin America Climate and Energy Program at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, notes that while demand for transition minerals is acknowledged by the mining sector, \u201cwhat remains hidden are the social, environmental and territorial impacts of these massive mining infrastructure projects in the affected territories,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>A survey by <strong>Rep\u00f3rter Brasil<\/strong> found more than 7,700 applications to explore critical minerals in the Legal Amazon, with some ventures proposed next to\u2014or even inside\u2014protected areas and traditional territories.<\/p>\n<p>One such case involves a permit granted to Brasmet by the National Mining Agency (ANM) to mine rare earths inside the Kalunga do Mimoso quilombo in Tocantins and the Kalunga quilombo in Goi\u00e1s (quilombos are rural Afro-Brazilian communities often founded by former slaves.) The Federal Court has ordered a suspension of all proceedings affecting the territory in Goi\u00e1s.<\/p>\n<p>Soldatelli also cites lithium mining in the Jequitinhonha Valley in Minas Gerais, where grassroots movements accuse mining companies of violating community rights and breaching environmental laws.<\/p>\n<p>In Barcarena, Hydro has already faced accusations from local communities over pollution of tributaries of the Amazon River. In 2025, Dutch courts began judging a lawsuit brought by the Cainquiama Association\u2014which represents about 11,000 residents of Barcarena and Abaetetuba\u2014alleging contamination and human rights abuses. According to Hydro, Dutch courts rejected all the claims.<\/p>\n<p>Vale, meanwhile, faces a public civil action from the Federal Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office (MPF) for contaminating the Xikrin Indigenous people of the Xikrin do Catet\u00e9 Indigenous Land in southeastern Par\u00e1 with heavy metals. The MPF blames the On\u00e7a Puma nickel mine\u2014operated by a Vale subsidiary in the Serra dos Caraj\u00e1s region and licensed by the state\u2014for the pollution. Nickel is also considered essential to the energy transition. Vale denies any link between its operations and pollution of the Catet\u00e9 River, saying the issue \u201chas already been extensively analyzed\u201d by the Federal Court of Reden\u00e7\u00e3o, Par\u00e1.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe very term \u2018energy transition\u2019 has been appropriated by these mining companies, as though it were synonymous with the \u2018just energy transition\u2019\u2014a phrase already used by organizations\u2014which we also consider an example of greenwashing,\u201d Soldatelli says.<\/p>\n<p>This story was produced by Rep\u00f3rter Brasil as part of the <strong>Socio-environmental Collaborative Coverage of COP30<\/strong>. Read the original article here.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"284\" height=\"319\"src=\"https:\/\/redept.com.br\/blogosfera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pulitzer-rainforest.png\" alt=\"Apoio Pulitzer Center\" srcset=\"https:\/\/redept.com.br\/blogosfera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pulitzer-rainforest.png 284w, https:\/\/reporterbrasil.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pulitzer-rainforest-267x300.png 267w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 284px) 100vw, 284px\"><\/figure>\n<div data-elementor-type=\"container\" data-elementor-id=\"75228\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n<div data-id=\"5e8db1e6\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n<div>\n<div data-id=\"36eb6c91\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n<div>\n<div data-id=\"6f52f515\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n<div data-id=\"65d9f401\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n<div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t<span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-id=\"134a1245\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n<div>\n<div data-id=\"10fe55fe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div>\n<p>Leia tamb\u00e9m<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-id=\"3c9495ae\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings='{\"template_id\":\"75221\",\"columns\":1,\"row_gap\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"size\":10,\"sizes\":[]},\"_skin\":\"post\",\"columns_tablet\":\"2\",\"columns_mobile\":\"1\",\"edit_handle_selector\":\"[data-elementor-type=\"loop-item\"]\",\"row_gap_tablet\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"size\":\"\",\"sizes\":[]},\"row_gap_mobile\":{\"unit\":\"px\",\"size\":\"\",\"sizes\":[]}}' data-widget_type=\"loop-grid.post\">\n<div>\n<div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>The post \u2018Mining is top\u2019: Brazil\u2019s big extractors see \u2018energy transition\u2019 as a chance to rebrand appeared first on Rep\u00f3rter Brasil.<\/p>\n<!-- Begin Yuzo --><div class='yuzo_related_post style-1'  data-version='5.12.89'><!-- without result --><div class='yuzo_clearfixed yuzo__title yuzo__title'><h3>Related Post<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t  <div class=\"relatedthumb \" style=\"width:125px;float:left;overflow:hidden;\">  \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  <a  href=\"https:\/\/redept.com.br\/blogosfera\/milei-teria-destinado-us-350-mil-para-esquema-de-fake-news-contra-petro-e-sheinbaum\/\"  >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  <div class=\"yuzo-img-wrap \" style=\"width: 125px;height:90px;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"yuzo-img\" style=\"background:url('https:\/\/redept.org\/blogosfera\/wp-content\/plugins\/yuzo-related-post\/assets\/images\/default.png') 50% 50% no-repeat;width: 125px;height:90px;margin-bottom: 5px;background-size: cover; 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