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Alurion Resources says an independent transport study found road haulage from its Amargosa bauxite project could support three tested volumes, up to 11.5 wet million tonnes a year, without modelled road-capacity constraints. The findings will inform a pre-feasibility study targeted for mid-2027; port expansion and a possible future rail connection remain under evaluation.
Alurion Resources said an independent transport study found road haulage for its Amargosa bauxite project in Bahia, Brazil, could support up to 11.5 wet million tonnes per year without modelled road-capacity constraints. The result supports the company’s planned road-to-port export route and will inform a pre-feasibility study targeted for mid-2027; it does not establish that the higher production and export volumes are commercially viable.
Alurion commissioned Engimind, a transport-engineering consultancy, to assess the public road network between Amargosa’s North and Central districts and the Port of Enseada, as well as a southern route linking the Central District to a proposed FIOL rail load-out. The study tested three annual haulage scenarios: 5.75, 8.6 and 11.5 wet Mtpa. The first is the Scoping Study’s base case, equivalent to 5 million tonnes a year on a dry basis.
For the Enseada route, the preferred connections use the BR-101 federal highway for most of the journey. Alurion gave approximate distances of 160 km from the North District and 220 km from the Central District. The company said the modelling found acceptable service levels and no road-capacity constraints at all three tested volumes. It also identified a preferred seven-axle truck configuration with a gross combination weight of 59 tonnes to guide fleet planning.
The company said its trucks would account for less than 1% of total corridor vehicles in the 5.75-wet-Mtpa scenario and 1.6% in the 11.5-wet-Mtpa scenario. Those are Alurion’s estimates for the modelled route and volumes, not reported counts of existing truck traffic. The study also assessed fleet operations, loading-yard activity, turnaround times and terminal capacity. District loading terminals, local access-road upgrades and the haulage fleet are expected to form part of mine-to-port logistics costs; Alurion said estimates will be updated during the pre-feasibility work.
Road Capacity Sets the Project’s Scale
The study gives Alurion an independent assessment of whether public roads could carry more bauxite than the project’s current 5.75-wet-Mtpa base case. That matters because a route able to accommodate higher volumes could give the company options to assess project scale without relying solely on a new dedicated road corridor. The study addresses modelled network capacity, however, not the full cost or commercial case for building and operating at those volumes.
Alurion is also assessing whether Enseada’s export capacity could be expanded to up to 13.5 wet Mtpa, in work involving the port operator. The company says the pre-feasibility study will consider the road findings alongside possible port configurations. Whether expansion is technically achievable, commercially justified and supported by required investment is still to be determined. The road study is one input into that decision, not approval for a larger operation.
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Enseada Base Case and Rail Option
Alurion’s existing Scoping Study uses exports of 5 million dry tonnes annually, equivalent to 5.75 wet Mtpa for road-haulage planning. The company says its base-case export strategy remains direct road haulage to Enseada. The independent study is the first of the sequenced pre-feasibility workstreams to be completed; drilling, trenching and metallurgical programs are scheduled to begin from the fourth quarter of 2026.
The study also assessed a potential southern connection from the Central District to a proposed FIOL rail load-out. Alurion said the existing road route of less than 90 km to that proposed facility could support haulage up to 11.5 wet Mtpa under the modelling, with appropriate service levels and no identified road-capacity constraints. This is a possible longer-term pathway linked to the FIOL railway and Porto Sul, rather than the company’s current Enseada base case.
“The study provides independent validation for the road-capacity assumptions in Amargosa’s development planning.”
— Maurício Noronha, chief executive of Alurion Resources
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Costs, Port Plans and Access
The published material describes the study’s findings as modelled outcomes. It does not provide the full technical report, detailed traffic assumptions or sensitivity results, so readers cannot independently evaluate the modelling from the announcement alone. The company has not yet disclosed updated capital or operating-cost estimates for the fleet, terminals, access-road works or higher-volume scenarios.
It is also unclear whether Enseada can support the proposed expansion to 13.5 wet Mtpa, what investment or approvals that would require, and whether higher output would be commercially viable. The possible FIOL route depends on completion of FIOL and Porto Sul and on securing commercial access, according to Noronha. No schedule or confirmed access agreement for that option was provided. The study’s road-capacity findings do not resolve those infrastructure, permitting or commercial questions.
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Pre-Feasibility Work and Port Studies
Alurion says it will incorporate the route and fleet parameters into its pre-feasibility study, which is targeted for mid-2027. The work is expected to assess terminal designs, access-road requirements, haulage costs and possible Enseada port configurations alongside the higher-volume cases. Drilling, trenching and metallurgical programs are scheduled from the fourth quarter of 2026, according to the company.
The next substantive milestones will be the results of that integrated technical and commercial assessment and further detail on port capacity and costs. Until those findings are reported, the supported haulage volumes should be understood as scenarios assessed by Engimind, not confirmed production targets or a final investment decision.
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Key Questions
What did the independent study find?
Alurion said Engimind found that the assessed road routes could support haulage at 5.75, 8.6 and 11.5 wet Mtpa, with suitable modelled service levels and no identified road-capacity constraints under those scenarios.
Is 11.5 wet Mtpa now Amargosa’s production target?
No. It was the highest haulage volume tested in the study. Alurion’s Scoping Study base case remains 5.75 wet Mtpa for road haulage, equivalent to 5 million dry tonnes annually. Higher volumes still need technical and commercial evaluation.
Where would the bauxite be shipped from?
The company’s base case is road transport to the Port of Enseada, mainly using the BR-101 highway. A possible southern route to a proposed FIOL rail load-out is a separate future option.
What must happen before the project can expand?
Alurion’s pre-feasibility study must assess the costs and feasibility of higher haulage volumes, loading terminals and port configurations. The possible rail option also depends on FIOL and Porto Sul being completed and on Alurion securing commercial access.
Source: primary
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