The Brazilian potential for critical and strategic minerals for the energy transition was the focus of a panel at EXPOSIBRAM 2025, held at the Salvador Convention Center this afternoon (29). The president of the Bahia Mineral Production Company (CBPM), Henrique Carballal, moderated the panel “Brazilian Potential for Critical and Strategic Minerals,” one of the highlights of the congress.

The discussions brought together a high-profile team, combining perspectives ranging from regional development to the global market outlook. The panel featured the participation of Brian Leeners, CEO of Homerun Resources; Emerson Souza, Vice President of Institutional Relations at Brazil Iron; and Alfredo Santana, COO of Vale Base Metals.

The debate focused on proposals to help Brazil add value to its mineral production instead of merely exporting raw ore. It also addressed how incentive policies and legal stability can attract responsible foreign investment, which is essential for the green transition.

Henrique Carballal, president of CBPM, highlighted that Bahia has the greatest mineral diversity in Brazil, placing the state in a strategic position within the emerging global economy—one increasingly dependent on critical and strategic minerals.

“Our geological potential, combined with public policies and partnerships with the private sector, allows Bahia to lead this agenda with sustainability, innovation, and value creation. The world is racing toward the energy transition, and Bahia is prepared to take the lead in this economic, social, and environmental transformation,” he stated.

Green Iron

The Ferro Verde Project, developed by Brazil Iron in partnership with CBPM, positions Bahia as a national reference in green steel production. The initiative strengthens the industrial supply chain and makes a decisive contribution toward decarbonizing Brazil’s steel industry.

According to Emerson Souza, Brazil could follow Canada’s example, which in 2024 recognized high-purity iron ore as a critical mineral for the energy transition. This decision positioned the country as a global leader in the production and export of green iron, essential for decarbonizing the steel industry—one of the largest carbon emitters worldwide.

“Including this input on the list of strategic minerals would bring significant benefits to Brazil, especially Bahia, which has abundant reserves and mineral quality compatible with green steel technologies such as DRI and electric furnaces. Besides attracting investment and promoting innovation, this measure would strengthen the country’s competitiveness in global supply chains that increasingly demand sustainability,” said the Vice President of Institutional Relations at Brazil Iron.

The project will enable Bahia to produce Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI), considered essential for transforming the global steel industry. This technology allows replacing highly polluting coal furnaces with electric furnaces powered by renewable energy, capable of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 99%, placing Bahia at the forefront of the steel sector’s energy transition.

Energy Transition

According to Brian Leeners, Brazil holds a unique position to become a global economic leader in the electrification of the planet, driven by its vast diversity of critical and strategic resources, including wind and solar energy—both fundamental to the global energy transition.

“The country is at a decisive moment: success in leveraging and implementing this first phase of infrastructure and energy industry development will determine the ability to reap the benefits of the second, which is the expansion of industrial capacity in advanced sectors based on the competitive advantage of a clean, reliable, and affordable energy matrix,” said Homerun Resources CEO.

Source: Presidente da CBPM modera painel sobre minerais críticos e estratégicos na EXPOSIBRAM 2025