Brazil's Samarco has obtained the first license to resume mining activities at its Complexo de Germano in Minas Gerais following the major accident in 2015, Kallanish learns from a note issued by the company.

The preliminary and installation licenses for Cava Alegria Sul mine were issued by the State Council for Environmental Policy in Minas Gerais (COPAM) during its extraordinary meeting held on 11 December.  

“To resume production, Samarco also depends on the completion of the corrective operational licensing of the Complexo de Germano, which is in the public hearings phase,” Samarco adds.

According to the note, Samarco has not yet scheduled a date for the resumption of activities.

Production at the mine has been halted since November 2015, after a tailings dam burst which killed 19 people and flooded areas in two states in southeastern Brazil.