Uranium Projects in South America: Brazil to Paraguay

Reference article · Updated 2026-11-06

Key facts

Brazil's Caetité (Lagoa Real) in Bahia is the country's only operating uranium mine; production was 43 tU in 2022.
Santa Quitéria (Itataia) in Ceará would recover uranium as a co-product of phosphate and was still in preliminary environmental licensing in early 2026.
Argentina's historic mines produced a cumulative 2,582 tU and no mine is reported as operating; restart plans are being pursued.
Peru's Falchani deposit on the Macusani Plateau hosts lithium and uranium, but Peru lacked a regulatory framework for uranium mining when last reviewed.
Paraguay's Yuty deposit is a proposed in-situ recovery project with a reported indicated resource of about 8.96 million lb eU3O8.

A region of small producers and long lead times

Unlike Central Asia, Canada or Namibia, South America does not supply much uranium to the world market. Its significance is mainly national: Brazil and Argentina operate nuclear power stations and have strategic reasons to secure domestic supply, while Peru and Paraguay host deposits whose development is uncertain. The World Nuclear Association (WNA) country profiles show that production is small and that most announced projects have slipped repeatedly.

The region is also relevant to the broader picture of exploration potential discussed in uranium by country. Resource statements for undeveloped deposits come from the countries' agencies, the OECD-NEA/IAEA Red Book or company technical reports, and they use different cost categories. They should not be added together.

Brazil: Caetité and the Lagoa Real district

Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB), formed in 1988 from the front-end subsidiaries of Nuclebrás and now controlled by the state holding company ENBPar, operates the Caetité mine in Bahia. The WNA describes it as Brazil's only operating uranium mine. It exploits the Cachoeira metasomatite deposit with a stated capacity of 340 tU/yr and has operated since 1999. Open-pit operations ended in 2012 and underground mining has faced licensing difficulties; heap leaching continued until 2016. The adjacent Engenho open pit, with planned output of 200 to 300 tU/yr, began development in January 2017 and mining started in December 2020.

Brazil produced 43 tU in 2022. All mined uranium is used domestically, with conversion and most enrichment taking place abroad. The earlier Poços de Caldas mine in Minas Gerais closed in 1997. Identified resources were reported at 231,000 tonnes of uranium recoverable at up to US$130/kg as of 1 January 2025.

Santa Quitéria (Itataia): uranium with phosphate

Santa Quitéria, formerly known as Itataia, in Ceará state is Brazil's largest uranium project. The deposit is a phosphate-bearing collophanite body in which uranium is recovered as a co-product of phosphate mining; the project is organised through a consortium of INB and the fertiliser company Galvani. The WNA quotes reserves of about 79,000 tU at 0.1% U, with about 140,000 tU of resources quoted elsewhere, and INB expects output of about 2,300 tonnes of uranium concentrate per year.

Different sources use different resource figures because of changes in definitions and reporting dates, so any number should be tied to its source. Licensing has been slow: in February 2026 the project was still in preliminary environmental licensing with the environmental agency IBAMA. Reported start dates for production have moved between about 2029 and 2031.

Regulation is changing. According to the WNA, the National Nuclear Safety Authority (ANSN), whose first board took office in August 2025, has taken over nuclear regulatory functions from CNEN, which retains planning and policy responsibilities. A draft decree reported in 2026 would allow INB to form joint ventures with private firms for uranium mining, with INB holding at least 20% of each.

Argentina: closed mines and restart plans

Argentina explored and mined uranium on a small scale from the mid-1950s to 1997. The WNA reports that seven mines produced a cumulative 2,582 tU using open-pit mining and heap leaching. The national atomic energy commission CNEA manages the legacy and the plans for new projects.

Sierra Pintada (San Rafael, Mendoza): remediation of the former mining complex was under way in 2026 and is described as a precondition for resuming production there.
Cerro Solo (Chubut): sandstone-hosted, with reasonably assured resources of 4,600 tU. CNEA developed feasibility studies from 2018 but the project did not proceed; a provincial ban on open-pit mining complicated plans. In July 2025 the state energy company YPF created a subsidiary, YPF Nuclear, to pursue uranium mining in Chubut.
Don Otto (Salta): operated intermittently from 1963 to 1981; a 2007 agreement aimed at block leaching of about 30 tU/yr, with no further progress reported.

The Red Book 2026 lists total Argentine uranium resources of 15,850 tU. Government statements in May 2026 made resuming uranium mining a priority, and CNEA planned agreements with private companies before the end of 2026. Under the 1994 National Mining Code the government has the first option to buy uranium produced in the country. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN), formed in 1994, is responsible for safety, licensing, safeguards and radiation protection.

Peru and Paraguay: deposits without mines

Peru. The Macusani Plateau in Puno region hosts the Falchani deposit, where lithium and uranium occur together. In July 2018 the Peruvian subsidiary of Plateau Energy Metals reported about 2.5 million tonnes of lithium and 124 million pounds of uranium, and said it was unclear how much would qualify as economic reserves; those are company statements. A 2022 European Union trade report listed the lack of a Peruvian regulatory framework for uranium mining among the obstacles. The project's current permitting status was not verified for this page, and the main commercial interest has centred on lithium.

Paraguay. Uranium Energy Corp acquired the Yuty project, which it plans as an in-situ recovery operation (see ISL explained), through the purchase of CUE Resources in March 2012. A July 2022 technical report gives an indicated resource of 8.962 million lb eU3O8 and an inferred resource of 2.203 million lb. A neighbouring project held by another company has received environmental licences from Paraguay's environment ministry. No uranium production is reported in Paraguay. The same company also holds the Oviedo property, where prospective redox boundaries extend over more than 21 km; no resource figure for it was found.

What constrains development

Four factors recur across the region. First, licensing: both nuclear and environmental approvals are needed, and in several countries legal frameworks for uranium mining are new or being rewritten. Second, state roles: INB, CNEA and national policy retain a strategic role, so private projects depend on laws on state participation. Third, economics: low-grade or co-product deposits such as Santa Quitéria depend on the phosphate market as well as the uranium price. Fourth, social licence: mining proposals in Chubut, for example, have been affected by provincial restrictions. See new projects in Africa and in Asia for comparison.

Frequently asked questions

Does South America have an operating uranium mine?

Yes, one: Caetité (Lagoa Real) in Bahia, Brazil, operated by INB. The World Nuclear Association describes it as Brazil's only operating uranium mine, with a stated capacity of 340 tU/yr.

What is Santa Quitéria?

A phosphate and uranium project in Ceará, Brazil, previously called Itataia. Uranium would be recovered as a co-product of phosphate mining, and the project was in preliminary environmental licensing in February 2026.

Is Argentina mining uranium?

The World Nuclear Association reports no currently operating uranium mine. Seven historic mines produced 2,582 tU in total, and the government has said resuming production is a priority.

Why has Peru's Falchani deposit not produced uranium?

It is a combined lithium and uranium deposit still at project stage, and a 2022 EU report noted that Peru lacked a regulatory framework for uranium mining.

What kind of project is Yuty in Paraguay?

A proposed in-situ recovery uranium project owned by Uranium Energy Corp, with a 2022 technical report listing an indicated resource of 8.962 million lb eU3O8.