Railway terminal in Itabirito receives environmental license

On February 10, 2025, the Minas Gerais State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainable Development (SEMAD) issued the environmental license for the construction of the Bação Railway Terminal (TFB), owned by Cedro Participações, in Itabirito (MG). The project will occupy an area of 10.77 hectares in the district of São Gonçalo do Bação.

The project, developed by Bação Logística S.A., with the participation of J.Mendes and Herculano, provides a new route for the transportation of ore and is expected to reduce the circulation of trucks in the district of São Gonçalo do Bação. The new route will use the Pico de Fábrica road, owned by Vale, following the ITA-330 towards Ribeirão do Eixo until it reaches the railway terminal.

The document issued by Semad includes installation and operating licenses and is valid until February 10, 2035. The TFB will be integrated into the MRS Logística S.A. network and should generate 100 direct jobs. The project was preceded by a Conduct Adjustment Agreement (TAC) signed in 2023 between the company, the Minas Gerais Public Prosecutor's Office and the State of Minas Gerais, with measures to mitigate environmental and cultural impacts.

The mining sector expects the TFB to become an efficient alternative for transporting mineral production, helping to reduce heavy traffic on the federal highways that cut through the region.

The TFB is located on Estrada Camargo Correa and is subject to compliance with specific conditions detailed in the licensing document issued by Semad. The project will also have to maintain its registration in the Federal Technical Register of Activities that Potentially Pollute or Use Environmental Resources.

On its website, the TFB states that its aim is to facilitate the transportation of solid bulk cargo by the MRS Logística S.A. railroad, in an area that has already been used by the Ferrovia do Aço for more than 30 years.

In addition, it explains that it seeks to strengthen ties with the local community even before it starts operating, in order to strengthen the company's values and purposes, by approaching the areas surrounding the terminal to understand the needs of the community and establish a relationship of social responsibility through socio-economic development, well-being, culture and leisure.