The Cuiu Cuiu gold project is an open-pit mine being developed by Cabral Gold in Para State, Brazil.
Cabral Gold filed the technical report for the project in October 2022. An updated pre-feasibility study was lodged in September 2025, outlining a 6.2-year mine life and an upfront capital requirement of approximately $37.7m (C$52.34m).
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The Cuiu Cuiu gold project’s initial stage one heap leach operation is currently under construction, with commercial production targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026 (Q4 2026).
Cuiu Cuiu gold project location
The project is located in Brazil’s Amazon Basin within the municipality of Itaituba.
It includes two mining applications, 13 exploration licences and three additional exploration applications, spanning 30,170 hectares.
Project geology and mineralisation
Cuiu Cuiu sits within the Tapajós Mineral Province of the Amazon Craton.
The basement geology is dominated by granite gneiss of the Cuiu Cuiu Complex, intruded by plutonic rocks from the Creporizão, Parauari and Maloquinha suites, while volcanic successions across the province are attributed to the Iriri Group or the Uatumã Supergroup.
Primary gold occurs in several styles including pervasive replacement, sheeted and stockwork vein systems, and quartz veining or quartz flooding.
The larger deposits show a combination of these styles, with higher grades most often associated with quartz-rich mineralisation within broader, lower-tenor alteration zones.
Cuiu Cuiu gold project reserves
The probable mineral reserves at the Cuiu Cuiu gold project are estimated at 6.17 million tonnes, grading 0.65 grams per tonne (g/t) of gold, with 128,903oz in contained metal, as of July 2025.
Mining methods
Mining is planned from three stand-alone open-pits: Moreira Gomes, Central and Machichie.
Mining will advance in 5m benches and is expected to start at Moreira Gomes to access near-surface higher-grade material, with Machichie contributing from the second year.
Once Moreira Gomes is depleted, mining is scheduled to shift to the Central pit, which is lower-grade and further from the plant.
Each pit will have direct access to the run-of-mine stockpile and crushing pad to improve haulage efficiency.
The mining schedule is based on a processing rate of one million tonnes per annum and does not include a pre-stripping requirement.
The mine waste will be placed in two storage areas, one servicing the Moreira Gomes and Machichie pits, while the other will be dedicated to the Central pit.
Ore processing
Ore from the Moreira Gomes, Central and Machichie deposits will be treated using a conventional on/off heap leach circuit.
Material will be delivered to a primary mineral sizer at an average rate of 2,740 tonnes per day and crushed to a nominal 50mm. It will then be blended with cement, agglomerated and stacked by conveyor on on/off leach pads in 5m lifts. With cement added at around 10–15kg per tonne, extra lime is not expected to be required for pH control.
Cyanide solution will be applied by drip irrigation, with pregnant solution draining to a pond, before being pumped to carbon adsorption for recovery.
Gold will be extracted from loaded carbon using a pressure Zadra process, followed by electrowinning to produce sludge, which will be retorted to remove mercury and then smelted to produce gold doré bars.
Cuiu Cuiu site infrastructure
The project site can be accessed by river, road and air. The Transgarimpeiro highway runs approximately 60km south of the project, while the BR-163 federal road lies around 90km to the east.
Local roads link the village and project area to the highway network. Two airstrips support the project area, including one located in the village.
The power required by the project will be supplied by an on-site diesel plant adjacent to the electrical room, with an installed capacity of 2.5 megavolt-amperes (MVA) and a peak demand estimated at 1.1MVA.
Process water will be sourced from two former pits converted into wells, supplemented by existing exploration drill-holes that will be licensed and repurposed as water wells to meet regulatory requirements.
Workforce accommodation will be provided at a camp located 5.89km from the processing plant.
Financing
Cabral Gold concluded a gold loan facility with Precious Metals Yield Fund in November 2025 for a principal amount of $45.1m, provided to Magellan Minerais Prospecção Geológica, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company.
Contractors involved
The updated pre-feasibility study was prepared by Ausenco, with contributions from VMG Consultoria e Soluçoes, Deswik Mining Consultants, RBM Serviços Técnicos and W. Dzick Geoconsultants.
Detailed engineering is being carried out by Ausenco Brazil.
