Sigma Lithium halted all mining and processing at Grota do Cirilo on September 30 after Minas Gerais regulator FEAM served notice following a September 4 federal court injunction suspending the operation’s environmental licences. The litigation is linked to consultation of local Afro-Brazilian communities. Sigma awaits a Federal Court of Appeals ruling on its emergency motion.
Grota do Cirilo is the company’s sole producing asset at a reported 330,000 tonnes per year nameplate, so the shutdown concentrates all operating risk on one asset. The stakes extend beyond one company: Brazil’s Supreme Court is weighing challenges that could undo parts of the new environmental licensing system designed to speed mine approvals, with the October 25 presidential runoff setting the regulatory climate.
Elsewhere in lithium, Surge Battery’s pre-feasibility study for Nevada North lifted after-tax NPV to $9.81 billion at an 8 percent discount, with a 24 percent IRR and 4.2-year payback on a 42-year mine life. The contrast between Nevada’s permitting progress and Brazil’s court fight is the sector’s jurisdictional story in miniature.