Smaller
BiggerDominican Republic’s rare earth reserves unlock US strategic interest
Image EFE
Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic is poised to become a key supplier of rare earth elements—vital for electronics—with estimated reserves of about 100 million tons pending confirmation. Exploration in Pedernales’s Ávila reserve, supported by the University of Barcelona and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has attracted U.S. backing; Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged American assistance, emphasizing the value of sourcing from allied nations.
These minerals, now overwhelmingly processed in China, could fetch US$50–US$750 per kilogram and draw chip manufacturers to the Dominican Republic thanks to its proximity to U.S. markets. Local communities in Pedernales—one of the nation’s poorest provinces—anticipate new infrastructure, jobs, and economic growth alongside tourism. In August, the government created the state‑owned Empresa Minera Dominicana (Emidom) to manage exploration and extraction, marking a strategic push to leverage these resources for national development.
Y’all think the government is going to do a bad deal, the mainly benefits the US and not the country.
Hard to believe we can get a worse deal than that 2% for our gold that Leonel Fernández signed, but nothing surprises me anymore.
This unfortunately will impact the poor most negatively. Like Barrick Gold in Cotui. Polluted land, water and skies. They will turn it into a profit on the backs of the poor as always.
The US already has niche RE opportunities within its own borders as well as strategically backed miners in AUS and Brazil, not to mention ops in CAD. So why here for niche RE?
So many areas thrown out this last year, including Ukraine, Russia, Greenland, the DRC, etc. Media hype!
GLTA REI
I hope the Dominican government used to enrich Dominican Republic and do not let Russian, China or the US exploited the country for their own interest.