Environment
Brazilian mining company bought by Chinese faces environmental damage complaints
As China eyes Brazil's copper, a $500 million mine deal faces backlash. Cracked houses, sick villagers and stalled studies fuel outrage in Alagoas, where explosions echo louder than answers.
![Dust and debris rise from the first blast at the Serrote copper-gold project in Alagoas, Brazil, on June 20, 2020. China's Baiyin Nonferrous Group bought the mine operator, Mineração Vale Verde, in March. [Mineração Vale Verde]](/gc4/images/2025/05/21/50479-mvv_first_blast-600_384.webp)
By Waldaniel Amadis |
SÃO PAULO, Brazil -- Mineração Vale Verde (MVV), a Brazilian mining company acquired in March by China's Baiyin Nonferrous Group (BNMC), faces mounting legal and environmental scrutiny over its copper and gold operations in northeastern Brazil.
The company, which runs the Serrote open-pit mine in Alagoas state, has not complied with a 2023 court order to install environmental sensors in Craíbas, 150km from the regional capital, Maceió. The order came after residents reported house damage and health problems tied to mining explosions and dust.
MVV's failure to act has stalled technical studies on the mine's seismic and environmental impact. State officials told Entorno they are still awaiting data on blast intensity and pollution levels in nearby villages.
Local environmental authorities also contracted the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte to conduct seismographic monitoring and provide support to affected communities.
Copper mine clash
Residents of Lagoa do Mel, Torrões, Umbuzeiro and Pichilinga have filed complaints since 2021, citing cracked houses, respiratory illness, dead livestock and reduced crop yields. MVV attributes delays to the high cost of environmental studies and insists that its operations meet regulatory standards.
The controversy comes as BNMC finalizes its estimated $500 million acquisition of MVV, pending approval from Brazilian authorities. The purchase reflects China's surging demand for copper concentrate, a key input for electric vehicles, solar panels and batteries.
The mine produced an estimated 18,300 tons of copper and 8,200 ounces of gold in 2024, making it the largest mining operation in the region, besides being one of its most contested.
Mining violations surge
A 2023 report by the Indigenous Missionary Council (Cimi), affiliated with the Catholic Church, ranks Craíbas third in human-rights violations on Brazilian mining lands.
Only Barcarena and Canaã dos Carajás, both in the Amazonian state of Pará, report more incidents. These municipalities have long faced conflict over highly valuable mining territory.
In 2024 alone, Cimi documented 29 incidents near the mine, specifically in the villages of Lagoa do Mel, Serrote, Torrões and Umbuzeiro. Residents reported cracks in their houses, frequent explosions, tremors, clouds of dust, animal deaths and landslides around the mine entrance.