Sigma Lithium Corporation (NASDAQ: SGML) resumed its mining-industrial operations after Senior Federal Judge Mônica Sifuentes of Brazil's Federal Court of Appeals granted an emergency motion reinstating the company's environmental licenses.
The landmark decision overturned a local federal court ruling, enabling the company to reaffirm its production guidance of 330,000 tonnes of lithium oxide concentrate annually by year-end 2027.
Sigma Lithium operates as one of the largest industrial-mineral producers of lithium oxide concentrate.
Court Ruling Reinstates Licenses and Production Guidance
In an SEC filing on Tuesday, the appellate decision reversed an emergency ruling issued by a local federal judge in Teófilo Otoni that suspended operational licenses without prior legal communication.
Judge Sifuentes stated that a prolonged stoppage would inflict significant, lasting negative economic harm on Vale do Jequitinhonha, one of the less economically advantaged regions in Minas Gerais.
Sigma Lithium noted that its existing Mine 1 South Pit operations and Cleantech Industrial Plant capacity support the 2027 target without needing added infrastructure.
Following technological upgrades completed in early 2025, including a fines reprocessing circuit, the plant demonstrated daily output exceeding 950 tonnes, with several operational days surpassing 1,000 tonnes.
Clarification on Legal Claims and Operations
The producer clarified that its Grota do Cirilo operations are not located within a newly claimed perimeter cited in a lawsuit by Ngolo, an Afro-Brazilian Quilombola association.
Furthermore, Sigma Lithium dismissed media reports alleging geotechnical issues at the North Pit, clarifying that it does not operate that pit and holds an industry safety record exceeding 1,100 days without lost-time incidents.
SGML Price Action: Sigma Lithium shares were up 3.09% at $10.01 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to market data.
