Brasília – The new regulatory framework for the mining industry provides for tenders to be floated for exploration of beds that only count on authorizations for the time being. According to the secretary for Geology, Mining and Mineral Processing at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Claudio Scliar, the proposal intends to step up competitiveness in the industry.
“It is a fostering, a support so that participation increases, which in turn should improve mineral production in the country. We want there to be more competition. These are goods that belong to the Union and we believe that there should be competition,” said Scliar this Thursday (25th).
The project, which addresses the Financial Compensation for the Exploration of Mineral Resources (CFEM), which is the royalty charged on ores, is being analysed by president Dilma Rousseff and should be submitted to the National Congress in the following weeks.
According to Scliar, the areas for which the authorizations have expired and which are available will be eligible for tenders. As an example, he mentioned the “quadrilateral of iron” (quadrilátero ferrífero), in the state of Minas Gerais, and the Carajás region, in Pará, where most of the mining rights are either requirements or authorizations. “Once these mining rights have expired, we intend to float tenders.”
The new mining rules should also lead to increased royalties on some types of noble metals, such as industrially explored gold.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
