Potassio do Brasil has applied for an operational license to develop a potash project in Brazil’s Amazon basin with annual potassium chloride production projected at 2.2 million mt (GM April 14, p. 27), according to Bloomberg, citing CEO Adriano Espeschit’s remarks at a recent conference held by Brazil’s IBRAM mining institute.
The company expects the Amazonas state environmental authority to respond in about 30 days, Espeschit said. The $2.5 billion project would be completed within about five years after the license is issued.
The Autazes Project has been trying to get a permit for seven years after a preliminary license was later suspended by a Federal Court that required prior consultation with the Mura indigenous people. Espechit said the consultation process is ongoing.
Potassio do Brasil is owned by Toronto-based Brazil Potash Corp., a subsidiary of Canadian investment firm Forbes & Manhattan.