Brazil court clears Sigma Lithium's Grota mine restart
2026-10-08 16:28:16 [Print]
A Brazilian appeals court on Wednesday upheld the environmental licences for Sigma Lithium's flagship Grota do Cirilo lithium mine, clearing the company to resume mining and processing operations.
The federal appeals court overturned an emergency order issued in September that had suspended the licences in connection with a lawsuit filed by Ngolo, an association claiming to represent local Quilombola communities.
The court said a prolonged shutdown would cause significant and lasting economic harm in the Vale do Jequitinhonha region of Minas Gerais state.
The ruling removes an immediate legal obstacle for Grota do Cirilo, considered one of the world's largest and highest-grade hard-rock lithium deposits, as Sigma pursues an annualized lithium oxide concentrate production rate of 330,000 tonnes by the end of 2027.
The federal appeals court overturned an emergency order issued in September that had suspended the licences in connection with a lawsuit filed by Ngolo, an association claiming to represent local Quilombola communities.
The court said a prolonged shutdown would cause significant and lasting economic harm in the Vale do Jequitinhonha region of Minas Gerais state.
The ruling removes an immediate legal obstacle for Grota do Cirilo, considered one of the world's largest and highest-grade hard-rock lithium deposits, as Sigma pursues an annualized lithium oxide concentrate production rate of 330,000 tonnes by the end of 2027.
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