research points to the existence of four rare land deposits in Portuguese territory, more precisely in Alentejo, next to the Spanish bend border. They are: monforte-tinoca, assum, crato-Arrchos and fat people.
According to the same source, the deposits in Portuguese territory are being explored by companies such as Iberian Resources Portugal and Acurcio Henriques Parra, both already holding prospecting and research contracts.
In addition to the rare lands, these mines reveal the presence of valuable minerals, including gold, silver, lead, zinc, tungsten and tin.
In turn, in Spanish bend, geological studies point to the possible existence of similar deposits in areas such as Los Ibores, Arañuelo, Alía, Burguillos Del Cerro and Almendralejo, reinforcing the miner potential of the transionic region.
The International Race for Minerals
In the international scenario, several leaders have sought to ensure access to rare lands to reinforce their energy sovereignty and economic competitiveness.
Donald Trump, for example, tried to secure these raw materials by various means-including the controversial idea of attaching Grolândia, where there is up to 25% of world resources, and the eventual obtaining of deposits in Ukraine.
The objective is to achieve greater autonomy, especially at industrial and energetic level, in the face of other great powers.
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“From the deposit in Ciudad Real is the one on which we have the most knowledge”
The interest in rare lands has not emerged now, but has increased over the last decades, following the evolution of new technologies. Francisco Fernández, the delegate of the Official College of Geologists in Estremadura, confirms that “from the Jazigo in Ciudad Real is the one we have more knowledge”, but stresses that, due to the similarity of the terrain, it is likely more deposits in Galicia, in Salamanca and, equally, in Portuguese Alentejo.
“Very favorable” potential for the region
According to the same expert, “it would be very favorable” for the economy and the social progress of these zones if these resources were confirmed and could be explored. Still, Fernández points out that current data is unknown, as the graves, neither the reserves nor the metallurgical process, revealing the uncertainties associated with the extraction and processing of these minerals at an early stage of study.
The growing importance of rare land
Several sectors – from electronics to renewable energy, through the automotive industry – increasingly depend on these elements. For this reason, it does not amazed that, as Fernández says, “it was in recent decades that demand has shot thanks to the boom of new technologies that use these elements, especially in recent weeks with the news of Ukraine.” This panorama reinforces the strategic relevance of the discovery of deposits in Portuguese territory.
An opportunity for Portugal and to Europe
If Portugal advances both in prospecting and the extraction and transformation of rare rare deposits, it can not only strengthen its own economy, but also to assume a prominent role in Europe, contributing to the technological autonomy of the continent.
The management and appreciation of these resources can be a crucial aspect in the future in which energy transition and industry increasingly require critical raw materials.
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