Federal Public Prosecutor's Office Faces Off Against Lithium Giants and Calls for Halt to Mining That Threatens Communities in Minas Gerais

Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office Faces Off Against Lithium Giants and Calls for Halt to Mining That Threatens Communities in Minas Gerais

Written by Caio Aviz

Published on 11/09/2025 at 21:05

Mineração de lítio em Minas Gerais sofre contestação do MPF, que emitiu ordem judicial cobrando consulta às comunidades locais.

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Prosecutor Calls for Immediate Suspension of Activities and Alerts to Social and Environmental Risks

A major dispute has arisen in the Jequitinhonha Valley, in Minas Gerais, involving the extraction of lithium, a strategic mineral for the global energy transition.

In September 2025, the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) recommended that the National Mining Agency (ANM) temporarily suspend research and mining authorizations in Araçuaí, Itinga, and other municipalities.

Consequently, the measure signed by prosecutor Helder Magno da Silva demands respect for the rights of indigenous, quilombola, and traditional communities.

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Expert Assessments Reveal Critical Environmental Impacts

Assessments conducted by the MPF indicate water scarcity and difficulties accessing water in Calhauzinho and Passagem da Goiaba.

The technical report highlighted flaws in the Environmental Impact Study of Sigma Mineração, linked to the Grota do Cirilo project. The document pointed out a risk of lowering the water level of the Ribeirão Piauí, which supplies Araçuaí and Itinga.

Similarly, there was a record of overlap of mining areas with territories of traditional communities. The MPF identified 248 communities in 19 municipalities already affected by direct or indirect effects from mining enterprises and titles.

Billion-Dollar Investments Intensify the Dispute

The Jequitinhonha Valley contains the largest lithium reserve in Brazil, a scenario that attracts massive investments. For example, Sigma Lithium announced R$ 2.5 billion for Grota do Cirilo and, in 2024, secured R$ 486.7 million from BNDES.

Thus, the company plans to increase annual production from 250,000 to 520,000 tons.
Consequently, lithium remains essential for electric vehicle batteries, energy storage, and electronics.

Nonetheless, experts warn of environmental and social risks that demand control and transparency.

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Banner Project Under Review

The Banner Project, by MGLit (Lithium Ionic), is also under scrutiny. As recorded, in March 2025, during the 122nd CMI meeting, Copam removed the licensing vote from the agenda following a recommendation from the MPF. The process was returned for adjustments and clarifications, with a risk of suspension or filing if flaws persist.

According to the report, Feam placed the project within an 8 km restriction zone for mining in quilombola territories. However, the exemption from consultation with the Quilombo do Baú was contested by the MPF.

The agency highlighted changes in air quality, noise, vibrations from explosives, vegetation suppression, and threats to biodiversity. The effects were classified as “negative, direct, immediate, permanent, irreversible, and of great magnitude”.

Growing Pressure on the Jequitinhonha Valley

The territory has become a focal point for multiple mining enterprises. According to the MPF, two other civil inquiries are investigating possible irregularities in the region.

The global demand for lithium intensifies territorial pressures and socio-environmental conflicts. Local communities claim that the exploration advances without guarantees of sustainability and without full respect for fundamental rights.

In light of the scenario, do you believe that Brazil should prioritize economic expansion via lithium or adopt cautious exploration, ensuring environmental preservation and community rights?

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Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office Faces Off Against Lithium Giants and Calls for Halt to Mining That Threatens Communities in Minas Gerais

Prosecutor Calls for Immediate Suspension of Activities and Alerts to Social and Environmental Risks

Expert Assessments Reveal Critical Environmental Impacts

Billion-Dollar Investments Intensify the Dispute

Banner Project Under Review

Growing Pressure on the Jequitinhonha Valley

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Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office Faces Off Against Lithium Giants and Calls for Halt to Mining That Threatens Communities in Minas Gerais

Prosecutor Calls for Immediate Suspension of Activities and Alerts to Social and Environmental Risks

Expert Assessments Reveal Critical Environmental Impacts

Billion-Dollar Investments Intensify the Dispute

Banner Project Under Review

Growing Pressure on the Jequitinhonha Valley

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Four times faster than the Concorde, capable of taking passengers from New York to London in less than an hour at Mach 5.5, and with an engine that switches from turbojet to ramjet mid-flight at Mach 3.5, the Hermeus Quarterhorse went from paper to its first flight in just 19 months.

She started by collecting oyster shells from restaurants and today she has already accumulated more than 10 tons to restore reefs, recover coastal habitats, and demonstrate how a common waste can become a tool for ocean conservation.

SpaceX will dock a $843 million vehicle to the International Space Station to push a nearly 420-ton laboratory against the atmosphere and make the debris fall in a controlled manner into the ocean.

China opens the world’s first school where more than 100 humanoid robots from different brands will study together, each movement will be repeated up to 600 times a day and the data will feed a collective brain that will teach all the robots of the future.

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