Caribbean state launches company to mine critical raw materials.
The Dominican Republic’s mining sector mainly produces nickel, bauxite, gold, and silver. President Luis Abinader hopes that this could include rare earths in the future. In a decree on Tuesday, Abinader ordered the establishment of a state-owned company to explore and mine strategic raw material deposits. The potential revenues of Empresa Minera Dominica (Emidom) are to be invested in infrastructure, education, and health.
According to a statement from Abinader, Emidom will focus on rare earths. The province of Pedernales in the southwest of the country is considered promising for mining this group of raw materials. Bauxite deposits are found there, which are needed to produce aluminum but can also contain high concentrations of rare earths. These could be mined as a by-product (PDF). No information is available on the extent of rare earth deposits in the Caribbean’s largest economy. Last year, researchers from the Engineer Research and Development Center, a division of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, assisted in exploring the mineral resources.
Photo: MarkRubens via Canva
