Critical Minerals: Sonora’s Strategic Card in North America’s Supply Chain Realignment

Binational Plan Positions Sonora at the Core of Industrial Security

The reorganization of global supply chains has placed critical minerals at the center of North America’s economic and national security strategy. In response to geopolitical tensions, market distortions, and supply concentration risks, the United States and Mexico have activated a joint Action Plan aimed at strengthening supply resilience.

The agreement, developed by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Mexico’s Secretaría de Economía, outlines a new cooperative framework focused on border-adjusted minimum pricing mechanisms, shared regulatory standards, technical coordination and geological mapping, priority financing for strategic mining and processing projects, and responsible business conduct criteria.

The goal is to reduce vulnerabilities and build more stable, diversified, rules-based supply chains.

Within this framework, Sonora emerges as a foundational actor.

What Makes a Mineral “Critical”?

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, critical minerals are those essential to economic and national security whose supply chains are highly vulnerable to disruption.

They support over 230 productive sectors, including advanced manufacturing, clean energy technologies, aerospace, defense systems, medical devices, and semiconductor production.

Mexico plays a relevant role in this supply landscape. Data from the 2025 Annual Report of Camimex (with 2024 figures) show strong national production of fluorite, manganese, copper, lead, silver, graphite, molybdenum, industrial silicon, and barite.

Although commercial lithium and rare earth production remains limited, Mexico’s broader mineral portfolio positions it as an indispensable regional supplier.

Sonora: Copper, Graphite, and Geostrategic Advantage

Sonora stands out within the binational plan due to scale and specialization.

According to Jesús Roberto Sitten Ayala, President of AIMMGM Sonora District, Sonora produces 80.1% of Mexico’s copper, and municipalities such as Cananea and Nacozari account for 95.8% of the state’s copper output.

The state produces 100% of Mexico’s graphite and maintains important production of molybdenum and silver

Copper is indispensable for electric vehicles, smart grids, and renewable energy infrastructure.

Graphite is critical for energy storage systems and battery technologies.

“This combination places Sonora in a strategic position to respond to North America’s industrial needs,” Sitten Ayala emphasized.

The Arizona Connection: A Cross-Border Industrial Corridor

Sonora’s advantage extends beyond geology.

Its proximity to Arizona’s semiconductor cluster creates a transborder industrial corridor that reduces logistics costs, shortens delivery times, lowers the carbon footprint, and aligns with ESG standards demanded by global markets.

In practical terms, Sonora is positioned not just as a supplier of raw materials, but as a secure upstream partner to high-value manufacturing ecosystems in the United States.

From Extraction to Value Addition

The binational plan’s focus on addressing market distortions and strengthening regulatory coordination sends a signal of long-term investment stability.

However, the true opportunity lies in value-added processing.

“Sonora can evolve into high-purity refining and processing centers necessary to comply with USMCA Rules of Origin,” Sitten Ayala noted.

Such evolution would allow minerals to move beyond raw export status and become strategic inputs for complete industrial value chains.

The Remaining Challenge: Legal Certainty

Despite the opportunity, structural challenges remain.

Key among them are harmonizing Mexico’s 2023 Mining Law with USMCA investment standards, strengthening legal certainty, and professionalizing human capital in the sector.

As Sitten Ayala concluded, “Sonora does not only extract critical minerals; it has the capacity to transform them and become a strategic link in North America’s value chain.”