Bolivia sharpens focus on rare earths, non-traditional minerals

Bolivia is developing policies related to non-traditional minerals and rare earths to develop the productive chain.

Energy and metallurgy minister Ramiro Villavicencio Niño de Guzmán told an event that a supreme decree was approved to allow the ministry to deal with prospecting, exploration, smelting, refining and commercialization of minerals, including non-traditional ones like indium, germanium, cobalt, nickel, uranium, and particularly rare earths, especially in Oruro and Potosí. These commodities “need to be prioritized by state policies,” Villavicencio said.

Source: Mining and metallurgy ministry 

This year, the sector will focus, among others, on projects such as Mallku Khota, containing copper, gallium, indium, gold, silver, lead and zinc; Machu Socavón and Mesa de Plata, which host high-grade concentrates of zinc, silver, gold, and tin; and the Negrillo Pacu Khollu silver-lead-zinc-manganese project.

Villavicencio also highlighted the need to build refining plants and zinc smelters in Oruro and Potosí. And he emphasized that deepening prospecting and exploration remains a challenge to be overcome.