Cadence Minerals secures preliminary licence for Amapá Mine in Brazil
Cadence Minerals Achieves Environmental Milestone with Preliminary Licence for Amapá Mine in Brazil
Cadence Minerals has reached a significant milestone in its Amapá iron ore project in Brazil by securing a Licença Prévia (LP), or preliminary environmental licence, from the Secretaria de Estado do Meio Ambiente, Amapá’s state environmental agency. This LP confirms that the mine’s environmental suitability, site location, and design are acceptable for operating at its full planned capacity of 5.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of direct reduced-grade iron ore concentrate.
The approval covers open-pit mining, mineral processing, waste rock management, and tailings storage facilities within the project’s current mining concessions. The Amapá iron ore project is a fully integrated operation with existing mine, rail, port, and beneficiation infrastructure already in place. It boasts a Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC)-compliant mineral resource of 276 million tonnes (mt) at 38% iron and a proven and probable ore reserve of 195.8mt at 39.34% iron.
The LP not only covers the full mine development plan but also provides regulatory assurance for the long-term mine layout, supporting Cadence Minerals’ phased redevelopment strategy. It also paves the way for permitting the Azteca processing plant, the first production unit in the staged restart.
During the Azteca restart, ore will be trucked and exported via an existing public port, enabling initial production to commence without waiting for rail infrastructure and a private port to be licensed. This LP marks a significant risk-reduction milestone for the project and is the first formal step in Brazil’s environmental licensing framework for the mine.
The next phase will be the Licença de Instalação (LI), or installation licence, which will allow for the construction, refurbishment, and installation of mine infrastructure, including the processing plant and tailings facilities. Cadence Minerals CEO Kiran Morzaria expressed the company’s excitement about this regulatory milestone, emphasizing its importance in advancing the project’s redevelopment.
Advancing to the LI stage requires meeting specific technical and regulatory conditions, including additional technical studies such as archaeological assessments and engineering work. The company has already finalized archaeological studies and obtained authorizations for water abstraction and effluent discharge.
As of June 2025, Cadence Minerals had invested approximately $15.5m (£11.48m) in the Amapá project, representing a 35.7% equity interest in the project. The company’s focus now shifts to securing the installation licence and progressing refurbishment activities in line with its strategic phased development approach.
The information in this article was originally published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand, and serves as a valuable resource for investors and stakeholders interested in the Amapá Mine project.
