Australian explorer Liberty Metals Ltd has entered the Brazilian market through the acquisition of three critical minerals projects across Paraíba, Bahia, and Rio Grande do Sul, marking a strategic step in the company’s global expansion into high-demand minerals such as titanium, zircon, ilmenite, and rare earth elements.
The company signed a binding option agreement to acquire 100% ownership of the assets: the Paraíba Hard Rock Rutile Project, the Rio Grande Mineral Sands Project, and the Alcobaça Heavy Mineral Sands and Rare Earth Project. Together, they give Liberty Metals a diversified foothold in one of the world’s most attractive and stable mining jurisdictions.
“This acquisition marks a transformational step for Liberty, establishing our presence across Brazil’s key mineral provinces with three highly prospective critical mineral projects,” said Nicholas Katris, Liberty Metals’ Executive Chair and Non-Executive Director. “These assets provide us with multiple pathways for discovery and value creation within a Tier 1 jurisdiction increasingly aligned with global strategies for secure and transparent supply chains.”
Down south, the Rio Grande Project covers around 234 square kilometres and zeroes in on heavy mineral sands: rutile, ilmenite, zircon. The deposits are shallow and sit close to surface, which keeps things straightforward. The geology looks a lot like what you'd see at the South Atlantic Project just next door, so there's a bit of a blueprint already in place. Liberty's planning to kick things off with ground-penetrating radar and some shallow drilling to get a better sense of what's actually there.
Then there's Alcobaça, up in Bahia, Liberty's bet on rare earths. It's a 55 square kilometre block with monazite-bearing sands that could yield the magnetic rare earths everyone's scrambling for: neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium. These are the elements going into EV motors and wind turbines. Timing's interesting here too: Energy Fuels, a U.S. company, just dropped $27.5 million on ground in the same district a few months back. That kind of attention doesn't happen by accident.
The acquisition does not yet involve active mining or refining operations. Liberty Metals’ near-term focus will be on mapping, surface sampling, and feasibility studies to assess resource potential and guide future exploration programs.
The company’s approach aligns with a broader wave of investment targeting Brazil’s critical minerals sector. With its stable regulatory environment, established infrastructure, and skilled workforce, Brazil is increasingly viewed as a key destination for Western supply diversification away from China.
“The Alcobaça project represents a strategic entry into the coveted rare earths market,” Katris added. “Combined with our titanium and zircon assets, this portfolio offers Liberty an exceptional platform for growth at a time when the global demand for critical minerals is accelerating.”
Liberty Metals’ move reinforces Brazil’s emergence as a global hub for critical minerals, positioning the country as a major player in the supply of materials vital to clean energy and advanced manufacturing. By targeting both titanium and rare earth elements, the company joins a growing list of international miners seeking to tap into Brazil’s vast, underexplored potential.
As the global race for secure, sustainable mineral supply chains intensifies, Liberty’s diversified portfolio could prove pivotal, offering both geological upside and strategic alignment with U.S. and allied critical minerals initiatives.
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