The Autazes Potash Project with an installation license

Installation license

Governor Wilson Lima has announced that the state’s environmental protection agency, Instituto de Proteção Ambiental do Amazonas IPAAM has granted Brazil Potash the installation license for a potash mine approximately 30 km away from Autazes.

Brazil Potash Corp is going to invest a ca. of $ 2.6 billion to create a mail that is expected to produce 2.4 million tonnes per annum of granular potash. The production from the main is expected to supply approximately 25% of the company’s needs. Moreover, the future mine will employ around 1,180 employees initially, primarily from Autazes. The mine and processing plant is expected to be completed in three years.

Potash deposit

The project taking into consideration Brazil’s economy and dependency on imported fertilizers (85% of potassium is imported from Canada and Russia) is considered a key project (is expected to cover 20% of Brazil’s potash needs). The deposits cover an area of 155km², with an average thickness of 2.07m is considered to be the third world’s largest.

Project controversy

The project encourages obstacles because the deposit is based on indigenous lands and requires permission from landowners for drilling or mining activities. In 2013 Brazil Potash clandestinely initiated drilling operations without the explicit consent of the indigenous landowners, igniting controversy and opposition. The clandestine nature of the operations incited outrage among the local communities, leading to escalating tensions. Subsequently, the conflict escalated into a legal battle, with around 12,000 people of Mura Indian filing litigation against Brazil Potash. The legal proceedings primarily revolve around concerns regarding the social and environmental impacts of mining activities in the region. As the legal battle continues, the decision on the project’s development remains pending, causing a standstill in the construction process.

Major milestone

The IPAAM decision is described as: a major milestone in the Company’s development which follows several years of environmental, social, and technical studies as well as the successful completion of local Indigenous People’s ‘free, prior, and informed consultations’.