Goiás advances critical minerals deal with U.S.

According to Adriano da Rocha Lima, Goiás’ chief of staff, who accompanied Caiado to the U.S., the state also plans to sign a similar agreement with Japan. “Both agreements should be signed by the first week of March at the latest,” he said.

The governor’s agenda included a meeting with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the American counterpart to the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), which approved $565 million (R$2.9 billion) in financing for Mineração Serra Verde. The company operates Brazil’s only commercially active rare earth mine, located in Goiás.

The most significant meeting, Rocha Lima said, was with Christopher Landau, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and a close aide to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “In that meeting, we broadly discussed the partnership between Goiás and the U.S., and they expressed full support for cooperation,” he said.

On the U.S. side, the agreement is expected to involve the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the State Department. On the Brazilian side, it would include the Goiás State Authority for Critical Minerals (Amic-GO). The deal would serve as a framework for more specific future agreements and would provide for technological and commercial cooperation, as well as financial contributions, though no initial amount has been specified.

“According to them, without this agreement they face difficulties in making financial contributions, allocating resources, and forming partnerships with companies and research centers,” Rocha Lima said.

Goiás has moved ahead at the state level by approving legislation in 2025 establishing Amic-GO, which will coordinate state policy on critical minerals. At the federal level, Brazil does not yet have comparable legislation.

Based on conversations in Washington, the Goiás government said it sensed a lack of urgency on the part of Brazil’s federal administration. “I recall a comment along the lines of, ‘We are trying to negotiate with the Brazilian government, but we haven’t received a response,’” Rocha Lima said, adding that this may have prompted the U.S. to accelerate talks directly with the state.

Brazil’s Mines and Energy Ministry said in a statement that it “remains open to dialogue and cooperation with international initiatives that contribute to a more resilient, transparent, and sustainable global critical minerals supply chain.” The ministry added that Brazil’s approach is guided, among other principles, by integration into global value chains “in dialogue with different partners, including the U.S., the European Union, China, and other strategic actors.”

A source familiar with the sector expressed concern about a lack of alignment between state and federal authorities, warning that the federal government could eventually seek to annul or invalidate the state-level agreement with the U.S. on constitutional grounds.

The Brazilian Mining Institute (Ibram) views the potential agreement positively. According to Julio Nery, the institute’s mining affairs director, the initiative should not hinder possible negotiations between Brazil and the U.S. at the federal level. “The Brazilian government can also sign a similar agreement,” he said. “It is very positive to see different levels of government engaged in this process.”

Rocha Lima said Goiás made clear its intention to move up the value chain in critical minerals. “We do not want to simply extract the mineral and ship it abroad in raw form. They understood and agreed,” he said.