Rio Tinto’s Brazil Bauxite Bet Clears Key Permit as Mining Money Floods In
Mineração Rio do Norte, with backing from Rio Tinto, secured an installation licence from IBAMA for its Novas Minas bauxite project, paving the way for work to begin at five additional mining sites in western Pará. The company, which leads Brazil in bauxite production, said this permit gives it the runway to operate through 2041. The permit is key now because it backs a long-term supply strategy over any short-term output surge. MRN is looking at about 9 billion reais—roughly $1.80 billion—in spending planned from 2027 through 2041, with a yearly bauxite production goal set at 12.5 million metric tons. Bauxite, of course, is processed into alumina and then aluminium.
