Problemas de Distribución de Beneficios Económicos en la extracción de Minerales Críticos: Desafíos y oportunidades para los países productores

The report analyzes the fiscal risks and opportunities for developing countries producing critical minerals essential for the energy transition. It highlights the potential for significant additional revenues—estimated up to USD 25 billion annually in taxes and royalties by 2040—while warning of risks such as price volatility, lack of transparency in markets like cobalt and lithium, and the potential for oversupply due to substitutes. The document argues that producer countries can increase their economic benefits by enhancing domestic processing (adding value), re-evaluating state participation, and reforming overly generous tax incentives. It also addresses the impact of alternative financing like 'metal streaming' and the potential costs associated with carbon pricing mechanisms such as the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

• Developing countries with critical minerals could generate substantial additional annual revenues between USD 98 billion and 259 billion by 2040, with government tax and royalty collections potentially reaching an average of USD 25 billion annually.
• The distribution of these potential revenues is unevenly spread geographically, with Latin America and the Caribbean expected to capture 39% and East Asia and the Pacific 34%, while low-income countries are projected to receive only 8% of total additional gross revenues.
• Price volatility and a lack of transparency in markets for minerals like cobalt and lithium hinder the ability of governments to determine real mineral values and project future revenues.
• There is a risk that high prices will drive the development of substitutes—such as sodium-ion or zinc-ion for lithium—or that deep-sea mining could reduce the need for new terrestrial mines, potentially depressing prices and limiting financial benefits.
• Alternative financing methods, such as 'metal streaming' and royalty-based financing, create fiscal risks including a lack of legislative clarity on whether they are debt, potential transfer pricing abuse, and the erosion of the tax base (BEPS).
• Producer countries have the opportunity to increase financial benefits by moving up the value chain through domestic processing, using tools such as export restrictions, investment deductions, and variable royalty rates.
• The increasing strategic importance of critical minerals allows governments to re-evaluate the role of the state, potentially increasing state participation through state-owned enterprises or nationalization, as seen with lithium in Mexico.
• The implementation of the 2024 Global Minimum Tax (GloBE) may make some traditional, overly generous tax incentives redundant, as multinational companies must pay an effective rate of at least 15%.
• Carbon pricing mechanisms, such as the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), could increase costs for producer countries exporting value-added minerals to the EU unless they implement their own carbon pricing.
• There is a significant risk of social conflict and limited community benefit, as 54% of critical minerals are located on or near indigenous territories.

APA

Omonbude, E., & Mataba, K. (2024). Problemas de Distribución de Beneficios Económicos en la extracción de Minerales Críticos: Desafíos y oportunidades para los países productores. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-08/financial-benefit-sharing-issues-critical-minerals-es.pdf

Chicago

Omonbude, Ekpen, and Kudzai Mataba. Problemas de Distribución de Beneficios Económicos en la extracción de Minerales Críticos: Desafíos y oportunidades para los países productores. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2024. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-08/financial-benefit-sharing-issues-critical-minerals-es.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Omonbude |first1=Ekpen |last2=Mataba |first2=Kudzai |title=Problemas de Distribución de Beneficios Económicos en la extracción de Minerales Críticos: Desafíos y oportunidades para los países productores |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2024 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-08/financial-benefit-sharing-issues-critical-minerals-es.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{omonbude2024problemas, author = {Omonbude, Ekpen and Mataba, Kudzai}, title = {{Problemas de Distribución de Beneficios Económicos en la extracción de Minerales Críticos: Desafíos y oportunidades para los países productores}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-08/financial-benefit-sharing-issues-critical-minerals-es.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }