COLOMBIA – Mining Authority Defines the Country’s New Strategic Minerals

• With the intention of moving decisively forward in the materialization of the new vision of mining in Colombia “Mining for life” and moving from an economic model dependent on extractive activities to an industrialized, sustainable and productive economy, the ANM updated the list of strategic minerals for the country and determined 17 groups of minerals considered vital for the just energy transition. the reindustrialization of the economy, agricultural development and the construction of public infrastructure.
• The determination of the new list of strategic minerals allows the country to reserve new areas with potential and does not affect the current mining titles, nor the processing of the proposals that are currently underway in the ANM.

Bogotá, December 03, 2023 – After 11 years of the issuance of the first list of strategic minerals by the Ministry of Mines and Energy in 2012, the National Mining Agency (ANM), through Resolution No. 1006 of November 30, 2023, determined a new list of 17 groups of minerals considered strategic for the implementation of the new vision of mining in Colombia.

For the president of the National Mining Agency, Álvaro Pardo, updating the list of Colombia’s strategic minerals was a priority task for this government, given that they are fundamental for the social and economic development of the country, and to advance in the implementation of the new vision of mining “Mining for Life” that will allow the country to move from an economic model dependent on extractive activities to an industrialized economy. sustainable and productive.

“The exploration and exploitation of strategic minerals should preferably be oriented to respond to the needs of the local market and especially the requirements of the four economic programs mentioned. We must grow, advance in the consolidation of production chains, generate employment, well-being, wealth and substitute imports from the resources that the country possesses, as expressed in the National Development Plan 2022-2026 Colombia World Power of Life,” added the President of the ANM.

Since the beginning of the year, the Vice-Presidency for Promotion and Development began the study of strategic minerals with an important work on similar exercises in several countries around the world; Subsequently, it prepared the document “Guidelines for the definition of strategic minerals in Colombia”, which was published for comments from citizens and then endorsed by the Board of Directors of the Entity through Agreement 01 of 2023.

Finally, based on these guidelines, the document “Determination of minerals of strategic interest for Colombia” was prepared, also made available to the public for consideration through the Entity’s website and subsequently gave rise to Resolution 1006 of November 30, in force as of the date.

The strategic minerals defined in Resolution 1006 of November 30, 2023 are the following:

• Copper (Cu) and its associated minerals, derivatives or concentrates.

• Nickel (Ni) and its associated minerals, derivatives or concentrates.

• Zinc (Zn) and its associated minerals, derivatives or concentrates.

• Platinum Group metals [Platinum (Pt), Palladium (Pd), Ruthenium (Ru), Rhodium (Rh), Osmium (Os) and Iridium (Ir)] and their associated minerals, derivatives or concentrates.

• Iron (Fe) and its associated minerals, derivatives or concentrates.

• Manganese (Mn) and its associated minerals, derivatives or concentrates.

• Metallurgical coal.

• Phosphates [phosphorite or phosphate rock (P2O5 > 20%) and phosphate rock (P2O5 < 20%)] and their associated minerals, derivatives or concentrates.

• Magnesium (Mg) minerals and their associated minerals, derivatives or concentrates.

• Bauxite and other aluminium ores, and their associated minerals, derivatives or concentrates.

• Gold (Au) and its associated or concentrated minerals.

• Emeralds and their associated minerals.

• Construction materials, limited only to sand, gravel and clay.

• Silica sands, silicon (Si) and its associated minerals, derivatives or concentrates.

• Limestone and its associated minerals, derivatives or concentrates.

• Gypsum and its associated minerals, derivatives or concentrates.

• Chromium and its associated minerals, derivatives or concentrates.

The definition of minerals as strategic for the country responds to the national government’s public policy guidelines for the mining sector, embodied in the National Development Plan 2022-2026 “Colombia World Power of Life” and the guidelines defined by the Board of Directors of the ANM through Agreement No. 01 of 2023. These guidelines are:

1. Sovereignty of the Colombian State over State-owned mineral resources.
2. Existence of favorable geological environments and prioritization of research.
3. Demand for minerals for the energy transition.
4. Demand for minerals for food security.
5. Demand for minerals for industrial and public infrastructure development.
6. Minerals for self-sufficiency.
7. Minerals to promote associativity.

What are strategic minerals?

For Colombia, a strategic mineral is one that is available to supply current or future domestic demand, associated with the industrial developments required to support a gradual energy transition towards clean energy generation sources. All this with the aim of having a productive, competitive mining sector and with the implementation of good technical, social and environmental practices. Likewise, those minerals necessary for the reindustrialization of the economy, the construction of public infrastructure and agricultural development are also important.

Finally, the prioritized minerals are also strategic to promote associative schemes for small and medium-sized miners and the collective formalization of informal miners, which will make it possible to carry out adequate planning of the mining sector, which until now has not existed, and to promote a rational exploitation and use of mineral resources owned by the State.

What does it mean for a mineral to be strategic?

Entering the category of strategic mineral implies that the National Government will prioritize its geoscientific studies over them, and will have the power to reserve and delimit special areas with high mining potential that are free, in order to grant them to third parties through objective selection processes or associative formalization schemes.

Minerals that are not on the list of strategic minerals or areas with strategic minerals that do not meet the high potential requirement to be declared as Strategic Mining Areas will be delivered to third parties through the ordinary contracting instruments established in the current mining regulations.

The rights to explore and exploit minerals that are not on the list of strategic minerals will continue to be granted through the ordinary contracting instruments established in the current mining regulations.

https://anm.gov.co/?q=autoridadmineradefinenuevosminerales

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