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First of 5 planned, the mining company Vale started the works to eliminate the dam in Minas Gerais
Last Monday, February 7th, the mining company Vale began work to eliminate dike 4 of the Pontal dam, in Itabira, in the state of Minas Gerais. This dam is the first of five upstream structures that are expected to be decommissioned by Vale and reintegrated into the environment by 2022. The mining company has approximately R$10 billion in provisions for the company's Decomposition Program.
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According to Vale, the works in the city of Itabira will take place in an internal area of the mining company, without causing impacts on local roads. The waste that is removed in the work will be destined for an area specifically prepared within the Pontal System itself. The dike that will be decommissioned has not received mining tailings since 2014 and has about 3,7 million cubic meters of tailings.
Dams that pose risks
Due to their construction technique, upstream dams are seen as dangerous, so Vale intends to mischaracterize all its upstream dams. The construction of the dam body is based on the use of tailings through successive heightening over the deposited tailings, in the opposite direction to the flow of water.
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At the end of this work, dike 4 of the Itabira dam will no longer have the function of retaining tailings and will be fully reintegrated into the environment.
After the tragedy in Brumadinho, which left dozens dead, injured and homeless, Vale mapped 30 dams, of which seven were mischaracterized by the mining company, four of them in the state of Minas Gerais and three in the state of Pará.
As for the year 2022, Vale's expectation is to complete the de-characterization of two dikes and a dam in the city of Itabira, which has already started work; a dam in the municipality of Congonhas and an auxiliary dike in Nova Lima, both cities also located in the state of Minas Gerais.
About Vale
Vale SA is a Brazilian multinational mining company, founded in 1942 by then President Getúlio Vargas, and is one of the largest logistics operators in the country. In addition, it is one of the largest mining companies in the world and also the largest producer of iron ore, pellets and nickel. Currently, Vale employs more than 70.000 people across the country through its subsidiaries and is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro capital.
Mining company Vale partners with technology leaders Schneider Electric and Aveva to improve operations
Vale has a plan to integrate, centralize and remotely monitor operations at its units in Mariana and Itabira, in the state of Minas Gerais. To meet the mining company's demand, Schneider Electric, a world leader in digital transformation, energy management and automation, and Aveva, also a world leader in industrial software, joined forces in operations. The mining company Vale's main iron ore producers are the Mariana and Itabira complexes, where 75% of the mining company's production in the state is carried out. Check out this article in full by clicking here.
