By LCN Business Desk
The Dominican Republic could make its first rare earth exports in 2028, President Luis Abinader told the Concordia Annual Summit in New York on Monday, 21 September, according to the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Infobae. "A finales de este año sabremos cuántas son las reservas," he said: by the end of this year we will know how large the reserves are.
Rare earths are a group of 17 metals used in the magnets of electric motors, wind turbines and electronics.
Abinader said the material his country had found "es más puro" than that of southern China, and that the government hopes to test a refinery with a special technology next year. "De ahí en adelante, creo que la primera exportación se verá en 2028," he said. He spoke on a panel on critical-mineral supply chains in the Americas with Colombian Vice President José Manuel Restrepo and Inter-American Development Bank President Ilan Goldfajn, who offered financing and technical cooperation, the ministry reported. The session is listed by Concordia.
What has the Dominican Republic built around the deposit?
| Step | What was done | When |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmation | Rare earth elements officially confirmed in Pedernales by missions managed by the World Bank | 2015 |
| State reserve | Ávila Fiscal Mining Reserve, Pedernales, declared by Decree 430-18 | 2018 |
| US partner | Agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers to research the deposits | 2022 |
| State company | Empresa Minera Dominicana (Emidom), 100% public, to manage strategic reserves | August 2024 |
| Resource estimate | 150 million tonnes of preliminary gross resources, to the NI 43-101 standard; feasibility studies projected for 2027 | Reported March 2026 |
| EU study | Mineralogical study of rare earths, gallium and scandium in the Pedernales bauxite, EUR 538,709.50, with the University of Barcelona | Signed September 2026 |
| US framework | Cooperation framework on extraction and processing of critical minerals, signed in Santo Domingo | 10 September 2026 |
| Timetable | Reserves known end-2026; refinery test 2027; first exports 2028 | Stated 21 September 2026 |
Sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Presidency; Infobae and Infobae; N Digital. The Ministry of Energy and Mines also announced in March that a new mining law, the first comprehensive reform in 55 years, would go to Congress, with a digital mining cadastre, fixed approval deadlines and mandatory mine-closure guarantees, according to the Presidency; on the public record this newspaper can find, it has not yet been enacted.
The resource is not yet a certified reserve. The potential identified "no equivale a una reserva certificada", and studies must still establish concentration, technical viability and profitability, Infobae reported. The government's plan is to process the material at home rather than export it raw, Infobae reported in February.
Where are the Dominican rare earths?
In bauxite. The Ávila reserve holds karst bauxite deposits that have been studied for rare earth elements, gallium and scandium, Infobae reported. Bauxite was mined in Pedernales for decades, and the Dominican Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative records large exploitable reserves there with indications of rare earth elements. Mining made up 18 per cent of Dominican exports in 2025, US$2.6 billion, according to the Presidency.
What does this mean for Guyana?
Guyana is also a bauxite producer, and this year the United States took an equity stake in a Guyanese bauxite mine, as La Caribeña News reported. Guyana charges a single 1.5 per cent royalty on every grade of bauxite, La Caribeña News reported in Guyana Charges One Royalty for Every Grade of Bauxite. On the public record this newspaper can find, no study of rare earth elements, gallium or scandium in Guyana's bauxite has been published.
Guyana's Geology and Mines Commission records rare earth element occurrences on its national Mineral Occurrence Map, alongside columbite-tantalite and uranium, according to GGMC. Its national mineral inventory, flown by aircraft since October 2025 over the North West, Mazaruni, Potaro and Puruni districts, is meant to find out what it holds, as La Caribeña News reported on 21 September in Chile, Argentina and Brazil Race to Refine Lithium. That article found no Guyanese critical-minerals law, list or strategy; minerals are governed by the Mining Act of 1989.
| Dominican Republic | Guyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Rare earths identified | Yes, in Pedernales bauxite; 150 Mt preliminary resources | Occurrences on GGMC map; extent unknown |
| Dedicated state vehicle | Emidom, 2024 | None |
| Foreign partners | US Army Corps (2022), US framework (2026), EU study (2026) | US mapping contractor; US equity stake in bauxite |
| Mining law | 1971 law, reform announced | Mining Act 1989; no critical-minerals law |
| Stated timetable | Reserves end-2026; refinery test 2027; exports 2028 | Mineral inventory under way; no dates for critical minerals |
Sources: Dominican Presidency and Ministry of Foreign Affairs; GGMC; La Caribeña News. Guyana has promised five mining companies compensation if the law changes, under stability clauses, and the US Deputy Secretary of State visited Georgetown in August to discuss critical minerals.
Santo Domingo has put a state company, two foreign partners and a year on its first export. Georgetown's aircraft are still establishing what lies under its mining districts.
What the title card shows
- 2028: the year President Abinader says the Dominican Republic will make its first rare-earth export. Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- 150 million tonnes: the early estimate of rare-earth-bearing material at Ávila, Pedernales; it is not yet a proven reserve. Source: Presidency.
- 2024: the year the Dominican state created its own mining company, Emidom, 100 per cent public. Source: Presidency.
- 1989: the year of Guyana's Mining Act, which still governs its minerals; Guyana has no critical-minerals law. Source: La Caribeña News.
- The comparison panel: where each country stands on rare earths, its state mining company, foreign partners, mining law and export date, from the tables above.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the Dominican Republic export rare earths?
President Luis Abinader projected the first exports in 2028, after the size of reserves is known at the end of 2026 and a refinery is tested in 2027.
Where are the Dominican Republic's rare earths?
In karst bauxite deposits in the Ávila Fiscal Mining Reserve in Pedernales, which are also being studied for gallium and scandium. Preliminary gross resources are estimated at 150 million tonnes; this is not yet a certified reserve.
Does Guyana have rare earths?
Guyana's Geology and Mines Commission records rare earth element occurrences on its national map. Their extent is not established, and the national mineral inventory under way since 2025 is meant to find out. No study of rare earths in Guyana's bauxite has been published.
Does Guyana have a critical minerals law?
On the public record, no. Guyana's minerals are governed by the Mining Act of 1989. The Dominican Republic has created a state mining company, Emidom, and announced a new mining law.