600 Jobs Expected to Be Created by Mining Company Investing R$ 859.4 Million for High-Purity Lithium Production in Minas Gerais

Sigma Mining Will Invest 859.4 Million Reais on the Border Between Araçuaí and Itinga, in the Jequitinhonha Valley, to Produce Lithium in Northern Minas Gerais

Sigma Lithium will invest R$ 859.4 million to produce high-purity lithium on the border between Araçuaí and Itinga, in the Jequitinhonha Valley, northern Minas Gerais. The company began construction on the production and processing plant at Grota do Cirilo, in Itinga, this month. This will be the first plant of its kind in the country, and the expectation is to complete the works in 2022, when it will start producing 220,000 tons per year of lithium concentrate. Also see: Vale Mining Will Have to Pay R$ 1 Million for Each Victim Who Lost Their Life in the Brumadinho Disaster, in Minas Gerais

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Lithium Production Project of the Mining Company in Northern Minas Gerais

Ana Cabral-Gardner, co-founder of A10 Investimentos, in which Sigma Lithium is part of, stated that the production for phase 1 of the project is pre-contracted with commercial partner Mitsui for a period of five years. She also mentioned that the expectation is to increase capacity to 440,000 tons in a second phase starting in 2023.

The executive explains that the miner’s product has been certified with the largest electric vehicle battery manufacturers in the world, and that this pre-sale was possible because they have been operating with a lithium battery-grade sample plant, sending samples to over 50 potential clients worldwide for more than two years.

Job Creation and Adoption of Technologies in Lithium Production

During the miner’s construction in the state of Minas Gerais, around 400 jobs could be created, reaching 6,000 indirect jobs, according to the company. Sigma also states that the operation will be 100% digitized and electronically automated, controlled by an algorithm. Sustainable technologies have been adopted, such as 100% water recirculation, 100% dry stacking of tailings (without the use of dams), and 100% renewable energy usage.

Ana Cabral explains that the investments are justified. The purified and certified lithium delivered would be in the range of US$ 750 to US$ 800 per ton. Currently, global production is concentrated in Chile and Australia. It is a highly specialized product, used in sectors such as information technology, automotive, and renewable energy.

Also See: Mining Company Will Implement Megaproject for Iron Ore Exploration in Minas Gerais. Investments May Reach 11 Billion Reais and 6,200 Jobs May Be Created

The mining company SAM – Sul Americana de Metais (SAM) signed a commitment term aimed at monitoring public prosecutions from the state of Minas Gerais in the environmental licensing process for the low-grade iron ore exploration megaproject that the multinational intends to implement in Northern Minas. The large project could receive investments of R$ 11 billion and 6,200 jobs could be created.

The governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, stated that it will be the first time in Minas Gerais that low-grade iron ore will be extracted. According to him, until now, ventures in the state have always prioritized and operated with higher-grade iron ore. This means a very large mining potential, because several other areas of the state, unlike the Iron Quadrangle, have lower grades, concluded Zema.