A $1.8 billion bet to keep Brazil’s bauxite flowing until 2041

The Novas Minas project will maintain MRN’s 12.5 million metric tons/year bauxite output while strengthening supply links across Brazil’s aluminum chain.

Brazilian bauxite producer Mineração Rio do Norte (MRN) is investing R$9 billion ($1.8 billion) to extend operations at its mining complex in Pará through 2041, securing long-term production from new reserves near its existing sites.

MRN has operated in northern Pará since the 1970s and first applied for environmental approval to extend the mine’s operating life in 2018. Brazilian authorities granted approval for the long-term expansion in April 2026.

The Novas Minas project will develop five new mining sites in western Pará and allow MRN to maintain its existing production capacity of 12.5 million metric tons of bauxite per year. The expansion will also continue using the company’s existing dry bulk terminal at Porto Trombetas.

“The project connects production, employment, regional development and industrial competitiveness. The benefits begin in the region, with more jobs and social investment, but its effects stretch across the entire aluminum supply chain and different sectors of the Brazilian economy,” said Guido Germani, CEO of MRN.

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MRN expansion strengthens Brazil’s aluminum supply chain

Around 69% of MRN’s bauxite production is supplied to alumina refineries in Brazil, linking the mine directly to the country’s downstream aluminum industry.

Glencore is among MRN’s shareholders and relies on the company’s bauxite through a long-term supply agreement to supplement its own vertically integrated supply from the Paragominas mine for its Alunorte alumina refinery.

MRN also counts Rio Tinto and Alcoa among its minority shareholders.

The expansion comes as ownership of South32’s Brazilian aluminum assets changes hands. In July 2026, South32 completed the divestment of its bauxite, alumina, and aluminum assets, including its MRN stake, Brazilian alumina refinery, and aluminum smelter operations, to Alcoa for $4.1 billion.

Grid connection targets lower emissions

MRN is also investing in an electricity connection linking its Pará mining operations to Brazil’s national power grid.

The connection will allow the company to use electricity from nearby hydroelectric power plants, which MRN expects will lower operating costs and reduce emissions from its energy generation activities.

The company estimates that greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation will fall by 90% once the connection is completed in the first quarter of 2027. Progress on the project had reached 63% as of August 2026.

MRN has an annual bauxite production capacity of 12.5 million metric tons and nearly 1,300 permanent employees. Its bauxite is a key feedstock for Alunorte, one of the world’s largest alumina refineries outside China, with a nameplate capacity of close to 6.3 million metric tons per year.

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