Posted at 13:15 | January 10, 2023 | essay

A mineral company from Canada will settle in Currais Novos

The deputy governor of Rio Grande do Norte, Walter Alves, met with representatives of Canadian Aura Minerals, a mining company focused on developing and operating mining projects in America, to discuss investing in the town of Currais Novos, in the Seridó region. A letter of intent was signed to set up the company, an act that will strengthen commitments to job creation and sustainability in the interior of the country.

“The aim of the government is to create jobs and income. Governor Fátima Bezerra had great difficulties in the previous administration, but managed to rebalance the state, and now with a partnership with the federal government, the state will capitalize, it will grow. We want companies to be able to come so that the country can develop further,” said the Deputy Governor.

“Here in Rio Grande do Norte, we don’t have gigantic deposits, but we do have an important variety of ores. Last year a geological map was made as well as one of the mineral resources. When you start digging, you will see that there is not only gold there”, stressed Jaime Calado, Secretary of State for Economic Development.

A memorandum of understanding very similar to this was signed in October 2019 by a predecessor company called Cascar, which is the same company name that Aura acquired in October 2022. Ouro Borborema Project to be precise, at Currais Novos. The new protocol extends the validity period from two years to six years.

Borborema is an open pit gold mine project, located 30 kilometers east of the municipality of Currais Novos, in Seridó Rio Grande do Norte, with over 1.87 million ounces of Rated Mineral Resource gold. “Oz” is the measurement system for gold, and 1 ounce is equal to 28.349g.

The project is included in Aura’s portfolio and will start operating in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to its representatives. The company estimates the creation of 747 jobs directly during construction, and 600 jobs directly during operations.

During the meeting, Calado also emphasized the legal security offered by the State given that there are 25 companies operating in the wind energy sector, 14 of which are the largest in the world. He also emphasized the importance of PROEDI, the state government’s tax benefit program for companies and industries that exist or are located in the RN.

Also participating in the meeting were Rodrigo Barbosa, CEO of Aura Minerals; Glauber Luvizotto, director of operations for Aura Borborema; Pitágoras Costa, project director at Aura Borborema; Jucieny Barros, coordinator of the Borborema Project.