On December 23, 2024, Sigma Lithium announced that it had secured the triple environmental license required for the Barreiro Lithium Mine, which is located in the Grota do Cirilo project area in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Spodumene produced at the Barreiro mine will supply the Company’s Greentech Industrial Complex, which currently operates at Phase I with an annual concentrate production capacity of 270,000 tons. Phase II expansion is underway, aiming to boost capacity to 520,000 tons, supported by a 16-year loan from the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES).
Sigma Lithium’s CEO, Ana Cabral, stated, “We are very pleased to have received the construction, installation and operation triple environmental permit required for our Barreiro mine from the Mining Chamber of the State of Minas Gerais. This license provides us with the regulatory framework necessary for our future operations at Barreiro, ensuring a consistent and reliable supply of lithium feedstock for years to come”.
In fact, Sigma Lithium initiated an environmental assessment as early as January 2021 and submitted its license application in July 2022. Sigma’s entire mineral rights package in Brazil currently includes 200 known pegmatites. To date, the company has delineated a proven and probable reserve base of 77 million tons with a lithium oxide content of 1.4%, equivalent to 2.65 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent.
Sigma Lithium is renowned for producing Quintuple Zero Green Lithium at its Grota do Cirilo plant. Sustainable lithium production is achieved by net-zero carbon emissions and producing with zero carbon intensive energy, zero potable water, zero toxic chemicals and zero tailing dams. Earlier this month, Sigma Lithium reached full production capacity and successfully exported a record-breaking 27,500 tons of quintuple-zero green lithium to IRH Global Trading in Abu Dhabi.
