en.Wedoany.com Reported - Grupo Herculano Mineração's Serro Project has obtained a Preliminary License (Licença Prévia, LP) from the Minas Gerais State Environmental Policy Council (Conselho Estadual de Política Ambiental de Minas Gerais, Copam-MG), authorizing the project to proceed in the municipality of Serro. The license was published in the state official gazette on July 16.
Following the issuance of the preliminary license, the company plans to invest approximately 300 million Brazilian reais in the construction of iron ore mining and beneficiation operations. The project will adopt open-pit mining, with an annual raw ore production target of 1 million tons of iron ore. Additionally, a Mineral Processing Unit (Unidade de Tratamento de Minerais, UTM) will be built, employing dry processing with an annual capacity of 1 million tons, along with a tailings and waste rock storage yard covering 7.7 hectares. Tailings and waste rock will be temporarily or permanently stored within the mine pit (cava de mina), eliminating the need for containment dams, utilizing a pit with a capacity of 2 million cubic meters, while also constructing fuel supply facilities.
Herculano Group stated that it is evaluating the licensing conditions set by the State Environmental Foundation (Fundação Estadual do Meio Ambiente, Feam) and plans to initiate installation works within the next two months. The construction phase is expected to last approximately ten months. Thereafter, the company will apply for review of an Operating License (Licença de Operação, LO) from the competent environmental authority.
Copam's decision has sparked opposition from social movements. The Water Movement (Movimento pelas Águas) expressed opposition to the license issuance, alleging irregularities in the licensing process that compromised procedural fairness and affected the performance of institutions protecting traditional communities and historical, cultural, and environmental heritage. Herculano Group refuted these allegations, asserting that the licensing process complied with current environmental regulations, spanned over four years, and was based on technical standards, transparency, and dialogue with local communities. The company also added that it has obtained favorable rulings in all lawsuits filed against the project to date, further demonstrating the legality of the environmental licensing process.
