Nicaragua Grants New Mining Concessions to China
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The Government of Nicaragua has granted two new mining concessions to the Chinese company Brother Metal S.A., covering 31,572.63 hectares across the departments of Nueva Segovia, Madriz, and Chinandega, near the Honduran border. These concessions allow for open-pit extraction of metallic and non-metallic minerals.
With this latest decision, Nicaragua has awarded 16 mining concessions to Chinese companies over the past two years, more than half of them since April 2024, totaling 94,096.39 hectares. The majority of these have been allocated to Nicaragua Xinxin Linze Minería Group S.A., led by businessman Edward Xiang Liu, with operations in the North Caribbean Autonomous Region (RACN) and several municipalities in Estelí, Chontales, and Nueva Segovia.
Environmental activist Amaru Ruiz has criticized the Sandinista government’s mining policy, warning about the socio-environmental risks posed by these projects. By the end of 2023, Nicaragua had granted 299 mining licenses, including 172 for metallic mining and 127 for non-metallic mining.
The mining sector remains a key driver of Nicaragua’s economy. Between January and September 2024, mining exports reached $978 million, reflecting a 16.3% increase compared to the same period in 2023. In 2023, exports totaled $1.158 billion, marking a 22.4% rise from 2022, driven by higher gold and silver demand.
Gold remains Nicaragua’s top export, with Calibre Mining, a Canadian publicly traded company operating in Nicaragua since 2009, ranking as the largest exporter in 2023, generating 3,500 jobs.
Main Source:
Gobierno de Nicaragua otorga la decimosexta concesión minera a empresas chinas – Forbes Centroamérica
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Régimen en Nicaragua aprueba concesiones mineras a empresa china Brother Metal en Nueva Segovia, Madriz y Chinandega – 100% Noticias