President Luis Abinader highlighted on Monday the potential of the Dominican Republic in rare earths and assured that the country is advancing in the identification of its reserves, the development of technologies for their processing and the creation of conditions that allow for the initiation of the first exports around 2028.
International panel and strategic vision
The president addressed the issue during the panel “From the Ground Up: Building Critical Mineral Supply Chains in the Americas”, held in the framework of the Annual Concordia Summit 2026 in New York, a meeting dedicated to analyzing the role of Latin America and the Caribbean in global critical mineral supply chains.
Progress in identifying reserves
Abinader explained that the Dominican Republic has been working with the United States for several years in the research of the existing rare earth deposits in the country and noted that he expects to have a more precise evaluation of the available resources by the end of this year. The head of state highlighted, in addition, the quality of the material located in Dominican territory and maintained that the studies carried out to date generate favorable expectations about its potential.
The Government had previously reported on raw deposits exceeding 150 million tons, while the Ministry of Energy and Mines projects advancing this year in the determination of resources and, subsequently, in the certification of reserves.
Technological challenges and the search for independence
One of the main challenges, recognized by Abinader, will be the refining of rare earths, due to the high concentration of that industrial capacity in China. He indicated that the Dominican Republic is working on alternative technologies that allow processing these minerals and advancing beyond their simple extraction. In that context, he noted that the state-owned Empresa Minera Dominicana (Emidom) will have a role in following and developing the project.
He also expressed his confidence that during the next year, related processing tests can be carried out on the material, with the perspective of advancing later towards its commercialization.
Cooperation with the United States
Abinader also valued the cooperation with the United States to develop a critical mineral supply chain in the Western Hemisphere and considered it necessary to combine technology, financing, and public and private investment to make these projects viable. The Dominican Republic and the United States signed a cooperation framework on September 10 to strengthen the security and resilience of critical mineral and rare earth supply chains, identify projects of interest, and facilitate financing mechanisms.
Environmental protection and sustainable development
At another moment in his participation, Abinader linked environmental protection with economic development and stated that “the greatest danger to the environment is poverty”, pointing out that the lack of economic opportunities can also generate pressures on natural resources.
Also participating in the meeting were José Manuel Restrepo, from Colombia, and Ilan Goldfajn, president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with the moderation of Ishaan Tharoor, from The New Yorker. The participants addressed the need for investment, technology, clear rules, sustainability, and community participation to convert the availability of critical minerals into growth and development for Latin America.
Credits: deultimominuto.com
