Spark Energy Minerals Launches Tungsten Exploration at Brazilian Project
News related to:Spark Energy Minerals Inc · 3 min read
Spark Energy Minerals Inc., a Vancouver-based company, has initiated a new exploration program focused on tungsten at its Seridó Project in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The project covers 21,492.74 hectares and includes twelve exploration permits, marking a significant move for the company as global demand for tungsten surges.
According to Dr. Fernando Tallarico, the Chief Executive Officer of Spark Energy Minerals Inc., tungsten has become a strategic metal, with China controlling a large portion of the global supply.
The company's exploration program involves mapping marble and calc-silicate horizons, which host scheelite, the primary tungsten ore mineral. Geologists are also sampling rock and stream sediment across five regional target areas. The company's goal is to identify potential scheelite deposits that could contribute to the global supply of this critical metal.
Tungsten is primarily used in cemented carbides, which are essential in cutting, drilling, mining, and construction tools. It is also used in specialty steels, turbine and armor alloys, electrical components, and chemicals. The metal's market context is highlighted by the International Energy Agency, which reported that China mined about 79% of the world's tungsten in 2025 and imposed export licenses in February of that year. Prices for tungsten rose significantly, increasing about sixfold between January 2025 and April 2026.
The Seridó district has a proven record of tungsten production, with the Brejuí Mine, near Currais Novos, operating continuously since 1943 until 1997. The mine was reactivated in 2006 and produced about 15 tons of scheelite concentrate per month in 2025. Other mines in the district, such as Barra Verde, Boca de Laje, and Zangarelhas, have also contributed to the region's production.
Spark Energy Minerals Inc. secured the permits on the rocks that host these mines before tungsten prices began to rise. The company's exploration program includes mapping, stream-sediment sampling, and rock-chip sampling, with full quality assurance and quality control measures in place. The first results are expected before the end of the year.
The exploration program also aims to identify potential gold and bismuth mineralization, given the presence of these metals in the district. Aura Minerals' Borborema Mine, located 18 kilometers from the Lagoa permits, has declared commercial gold production, and the Bonfim Mine at Lajes is a gold-tungsten-bismuth skarn mine.
The company's Qualified Persons consider all five regional target areas highly prospective for skarn-hosted scheelite. The exploration permits are held by Spark Energy Minerais do Brasil Ltda., the company's wholly-owned subsidiary. The geological setting of the project includes the Seridó Group, which crops out in northeast-trending belts, hosting all of the district's scheelite.
Public geochemical data from the Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB-CPRM) stream-sediment and panned-concentrate surveys indicate that the highest tungsten concentration recorded is 122.3 ppm, 1.6 kilometers from the boundary of permit 848.204/2023. The company has classified values up to 0.5 ppm as background, 0.5-1.8 ppm as weakly anomalous, 1.8-4.5 ppm as anomalous, 4.5-16.7 ppm as strongly anomalous, and above 16.7 ppm as highly anomalous.
The company's exploration program is designed to test whether the host horizons on the permits carry tungsten, with mapping of the marble and calc-silicate horizons, their granite contacts, and the northeast-trending structures that control the district's ore bodies. Stream-sediment sampling around every target area and rock-chip sampling of any scheelite occurrence will be conducted, with full QA/QC and multi-element analysis at an accredited laboratory.
The Seridó district is Brazil's tungsten province, with the state's tungsten exports rising 356% in the first half of 2026, at an average price four times that of the previous year. The district is producing again, with the state's tungsten exports increasing significantly.
Spark Energy Minerals Inc. is optimistic about the potential of the Seridó Project to contribute to the global supply of tungsten, given the district's proven record and the company's strategic position. The exploration program is expected to provide valuable insights into the potential for scheelite and other critical minerals in the region.