Original article: “Tierras Raras: El Dilema de Penco y el Gran Concepción”: el documental que pone a minera Aclara en la mira de las comunidades

Rare Earths: The Dilemma of Penco and Greater Concepción – A Documentary Spotlighting Aclara Mining’s Impact on Local Communities

In a region heavily influenced by forestry and fishing extractivism, the promise of a «green» technology of the future threatens a territory and its communities, which already bear the historical burden of environmental impact. The proposed establishment of a rare earth mining operation by Canadian Aclara Resources, through its subsidiary REE UNO SpA, has positioned Greater Concepción at the center of a global geopolitical landscape, a conflict whose local dimensions are deeply explored in the newly released documentary «Rare Earths: The Dilemma of Penco and Greater Concepción,» a project by Diario Digital Resumen.cl.

This initiative has been funded by the 2025 Social Media Communication Promotion Fund (FFMCS), under the General Secretariat of Government (SEGEGOB), which provides small grants to independent and decentralized media outlets.

Three Overlooked Aspects: Water, Women, and Community

The rigorous investigation, coordinated and developed by the editorial team of the digital newspaper, delves into the communes of Penco, Tomé, Florida, and the regional capital, Concepción, to provide a comprehensive view of the conflict through three fundamental axes: the impact on water and water resources, the effect on women from mining activities, and the impact on local communities.

The series, which includes both the documentary and four written reports, primarily features Penco, as the company’s pilot plant is located in this commune of the Biobío Region.

The project aims to give space to «silenced voices,» incorporating testimonies from community leaders, local authorities, independent experts in hydrogeology and gender, as well as representatives from the company and the government. The goal is to unravel the complexities and contradictions of a dilemma that weighs economic development, technological sovereignty, and socio-environmental justice.

Controversial Rare Earth Project

It is important to remember that the project proposed by Canadian Aclara Resources involves the extraction of three clay zones containing rare earths, a plant capable of processing 320 tons per hour, and the permanent intervention of over 153 hectares.

However, this initiative is known for its inadequate environmental studies, the questions regarding the impacts it could generate, and the strong opposition it has faced from communities and organizations due to the contaminating threat it poses to biodiversity, the environment, and water bodies.

What has alarmed the residents of the area is that the project seeks to exploit nearly 600 hectares in the hills overlooking the city and would extract water from the Penco and El Cabrito streams. It would use 35,000 liters of water per hour solely from the Penco Stream, potentially significantly altering the flow and volume of this river, which the General Water Directorate has classified as of «exceptional quality,» meaning it is extraordinarily pure and scarce, suitable for human consumption.

Additionally, the proximity to indigenous territories has heightened concerns about cultural and environmental damages, adding weight to the opposition against the project.

In fact, in 2022, a citizen consultation process was held in Penco, where 7,548 voters participated, of whom 99% voted for the rejection of the mining project.

Aclara’s Project in the Global Geopolitical Arena

Far from being merely a local mining venture, Aclara’s «Penco» project appears as a strategic link in the supply chain of critical minerals essential for the energy transition (electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, electronics). The support from the United States government for its establishment is part of a geostrategic interest in diversifying sources and reducing dependence on China, which controls approximately 80% of the global rare earth market, giving it a significant advantage in the production and processing of these minerals.

«Aclara, with its base in Canada and capital from the United States, fits perfectly into this strategy. The explicit support from the U.S. government for its establishment is not a coincidence; it reflects an interest in diversifying sources and reducing dependence on China, which today dominates the market,» stated Resumen.

However, this global race for minerals has systematically sidelined the voices of those who inhabit the territory.

«In this race for minerals, the voices of local communities have been overlooked, despite being the ones who will experience the most profound impacts,» noted the digital outlet.

The release of the 27-minute documentary and the reports will continue throughout December 2025, providing citizens with a key informational tool to understand a conflict that, beyond geopolitical discourses or promises of progress, is defined in the day-to-day life of a territory that cries out to be heard.

You can watch the documentary «Rare Earths: The Dilemma of Penco and Greater Concepción» below: