One-month competitive bidding process for gold exploration in Mana

The Prefect of French Guiana has opened a one-month competitive bidding process for the granting of a gold mining exploration permit covering approximately 300 hectares, within the territory of the commune of Mana, for the benefit of SAS Tortue. The notice was published in the Official Journal of the French Republic on October 25, 2026, JORF No. 0250, under number 04368, in the “Miscellaneous Concessions” section. The deadline runs from the date of this publication and therefore ends on November 25, 2026.

An application filed on September 15, 2026

The application was submitted by SAS Tortue, identified by SIREN number 823 507 553 and located at 1462, route des Plages, 97354 Rémire-Montjoly. It was received and registered on September 15, 2026, and concerns a 24-month authorization for gold, referred to as “TAMANOIR NORD”.

The procedure is based on Article L. 621-22 of the Mining Code and Article 68 of Decree No. 2025-853 of August 27, 2025, regarding various mining provisions in overseas territories. It is this second text, which entered into force just over a year ago, that establishes the procedural framework for the competitive bidding process applicable to exploration title applications in overseas territories.

A perimeter of 41 vertices in UTM 22N

The notice publishes the full geometry of the requested perimeter, described by 41 vertices expressed in UTM 22N within the RGFG 95 geodetic system. The coordinates range from approximately 194,804 to 199,302 meters in X and from 565,423 to 568,648 meters in Y, allowing third parties to precisely locate the area concerned before coming forward.

The file and associated mapping documents can be consulted during the competitive bidding period, by appointment, at the General Directorate of Territories and the Sea (DGTM), risk prevention and extractive industries service, extractive industries unit, at the State Services in French Guiana, rue Carlos-Finley, impasse Buzaré, 97300 Cayenne. Requests for appointments and information should be sent to the email address dgtm-datte-prie-uie@guyane.gouv.fr.

Three announced selection criteria

Any competing application must be presented in the same format as the initial application and addressed to the Prefect of French Guiana, via email to the same address, within one month from the date of the Official Journal. The notice specifies that the selection criteria will particularly focus on:

• the technical and financial capacities of the applicant: seniority of the company, experience, findings of the mining police, project financing;
• the interest of the prospecting, assessed by the quality of the knowledge of the geological interest of the area;
• the quality of the work program, particularly the area of the prospecting program impacted by the competitive bidding process.

An applicant already present in several communes

SAS Tortue is not undertaking its first process in French Guiana. The same SIREN 823 507 553, at the same address in Rémire-Montjoly, had already requested two other mining research authorizations for gold in 2026, designated “Sobén” in the commune of Roura (approximately 60 hectares, 12 months, request dated July 17, 2026) and “Grand Couata” in the commune of Régina (approximately 300 hectares, 24 months, request dated July 13, 2026), both published in the Official Journal on August 4, 2026. These previous notices identified the applicant as “SASU Tortue”.

Furthermore, the administrative context in French Guiana is explicit: the DGTM has the mission, according to the organization of State services in French Guiana published in the Official Journal on September 27, 2026, to support the development of a sustainable and responsible gold mining industry and to contribute to a more effective fight against illegal gold mining.

A deadline of November 25, 2026

For operators in the sector, notice 04368 opens a narrow window: a competing request filed after November 25, 2026, will not be admissible, and the file must be as complete as that of SAS Tortue, including regarding financing and the work program. For the residents and elected officials of Mana, the publication marks the starting point of a procedure which, if a competitor comes forward, may be extended by a comparative investigation before any decision by the Prefect of French Guiana on the granting of the research title.

Source: Official Journal of the French Republic, JORF No. 0250 of October 25, 2026, notice No. 04368, “Miscellaneous Concessions”.