Responsibility
Comprehensive studies support responsible project development
Environmental baseline studies and social impact data collection commenced over the Cabaçal Project in January, 2022, and was completed in November, 2023. Specialist consultants were engaged to undertake environmental, hydrogeological and archaeological studies.
The studies were summarised by the Brazilian consultancy SETE in the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) and Environmental Impact Report (RIMA), which concluded that the environmental licensing of the Cabaçal project is considered feasible. The studies also concluded that the measures aimed at preventing, controlling, mitigating, compensating and monitoring negative impacts are within limits considered acceptable by current environmental legislation and by stakeholders and local communities.
Ongoing environmental monitoring of the Cabaçal Project site is underway in order to continue to build up data for environmental models.
Local engagement progress
The EIA/RIMA reports were filed with the Mato Grosso State Environmental Secretariat (“SEMA”; the agency responsible for the environmental licensing process) on 2 December, 2023. The licensing process is now following the regulated pathway and has already undergone the Public Hearing and the field inspection carried out by a multidisciplinary technical team from SEMA, which attested to the veracity of the information contained in the EIA/RIMA. The Cabaçal Preliminary Licence (“Licença Prévia”) was approved in a meeting of the CONSEMA council on 29 October, 2025, with the decision published in State of Mato Grosso’s Official Gazette on 31 October, 2025.
Local stakeholder engagement processes were undertaken on securing the Cabaçal Project in 2021. The Cabaçal Project is located within farming land, with no artisanal mining activity. Aside from local farms, there are no settlements or local communities within the project’s active area. The nearest indigenous land is located outside of Cabaçal, approximately 80 km distant from Cabaçal to the northwest (Terra Indígena Figueiras) and the project limits are located more than 25 km away from areas classified as Quilombolas. No areas classified as of special tourist importance are present.
Formal exploration access agreements have been established with over 100 landholders. Engagement with additional landholders progresses as geological survey activities require.