Brazil prosecutor urges halt to uranium plant license renewal pending quilombola consultation

The Federal Prosecutor's Office (MPF) in Brazil recommended that the environmental agency Ibama refrain from renewing the operating licence of the Uranium Concentrate Unit (URA) at Caetité, Bahia. The unit, operated by state-owned Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB) since 1999, supplies about 400 tonnes of yellowcake annually for export and later use in Brazil’s Angra nuclear reactors.

MPF argues that at least 14 quilombola (descendants of enslaved people) communities within a 20‑km radius have never been consulted, violating International Labour Organization Convention 169, which requires prior, free and informed consultation of traditional peoples for projects affecting their lands. The recommendation does not order an immediate shutdown but suspends any licence renewal until proper consultation is carried out. Ibama has 30 days to respond and may impose technical, environmental or social conditions on the licence. MPF also seeks an extrajudicial agreement with INB to ensure the consultation process.