Mining policy, strategic minerals, processing and Brazil’s place in global supply chains.
On May 6, 1997, a consortium bought control of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce in an auction held under Brazil’s privatization program. The transaction faced court challenges but was completed the same day, and the company—now Vale—remains a globally material iron-ore producer.
On May 6, 1997, Brazil transferred control of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, then known as CVRD, to private shareholders in an auction that raised R$3.34 billion for 41.73% of its voting capital.
Brazil’s 1997 auction of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, now Vale, transferred voting control of the mining company to a domestic consortium for R$3.338 billion. The deal became a defining moment in the country’s broader privatization program.
Brazil’s Federal Court of Accounts found that the former federal mining regulator’s dam-safety oversight was deficient after the 2015 Fundão collapse, particularly in enforcing emergency-planning requirements. The administrative finding did not determine that regulatory failures caused the disaster.
The 2015 collapse of the Fundão tailings dam in Mariana killed 19 people and exposed weaknesses in mining-dam oversight. The disaster helped drive changes to inspections, safety rules and reparations, while litigation and environmental management continue.
The 2019 collapse of Vale’s B-I tailings dam in Brumadinho killed 272 officially recognized victims and triggered a multibillion-real reparation agreement, continuing legal cases and a global tailings-management standard.
The 2019 collapse of Vale’s B-I tailings dam in Brumadinho killed 272 people by Minas Gerais’ current count. Regulatory findings identified warning signs that were not reported to authorities, while criminal proceedings remain in the evidentiary phase.
The 2019 collapse of Vale’s B1 tailings dam in Brumadinho killed 270 people under the count used in criminal proceedings. As hearings run through May 2027, the case remains a test of corporate accountability, regulation and mining safety in Brazil.
Brazil’s new critical-minerals policy establishes a council to set priorities and a suite of financing, traceability and low-carbon certification tools. Its commercial reach will depend on regulations, the first official mineral list and project-selection rules still to be completed.
Brazil’s Federal Police and environmental agency Ibama reported destroying 22 dredges and five support vessels during an operation targeting illegal gold extraction on the Madeira River in Amazonas. No arrests or criminal charges were announced.
Between 1993 and 1999, Brazil privatized or concessioned major state-linked assets including CSN, Embraer, Vale, the Telebrás system and regional rail freight networks. The period remains central to debates over regulation, foreign investment and the role of the state.
Date shown is the publication date because no separate historical event date is stored.Brazil’s National Mining Agency closed written submissions on October 14, 2026 for draft safety and emergency rules for mining piles. The consultation is complete, but the proposal has not yet become a final regulation.
Brazil sold control of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce in May 1997, enacted a new telecommunications law two months later and sold 12 companies created from the Telebrás System breakup in July 1998. The measures transferred major mining and telecom assets and services to private control under a new regulatory framework.
Date shown is the publication date because no separate historical event date is stored.Brazil’s Federal Police said an operation with environmental agency Ibama personnel rendered 15 dredges inoperative on the Madeira River in Rondônia, in an investigation into alleged illegal mineral extraction.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has provisionally suspended the effects of a lower-court ruling that restored Belo Sun’s installation licence for the Volta Grande gold-mining project in Pará. The decision does not finally determine the project’s licensing dispute.
Brazilian federal agencies have carried out separate operations against unauthorized gold mining in Rondônia and Pará, disabling dredges and land-based equipment while investigations seek to identify the financial and logistical networks involved.
Brazil’s Federal Police has inaugurated a forensic geochemistry laboratory intended to compare seized gold with reference data from mineral deposits, supporting investigations into illegal mining and related environmental crimes.