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Vale has received board approval for an expansion of the already massive S11D iron ore mine in the northern state of Pará
Mineradora Vale's $120 billion Serra Sul 1,5 project aims to increase the capacity of the S11D mine plant by 20 million tons to 120 million tons of iron ore per year. Once completed, it will increase production in Vale's Northern System to 260 million tons per year.
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Mineradora vale based in Rio de Janeiro said that the completion of Serra Sul 120 is scheduled for the first half of 2024
The project includes the opening of new mining areas, the duplication of the long distance conveyor belt (TCLD), which will require an investment of US$ 385 million. It also involves the deployment of new processing lines at the factory and the expansion of storage areas, said mining company Vale.
Furthermore, Vale noted that bringing forward the multi-year project and the continued impact of the coronavirus pandemic means that the company will have to revise the investment guidance for 2021 and the period 2022-2024.
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Previous tragedies in Vale and the pandemic
As such, mining company Vale is still reeling from the collapse of a tailings dam at one of its mines, which killed 270 people last year. The disaster forced the company to suspend operations and reduce production at several of its mines. The iron ore producer originally estimated it would take two to three years to reach the 400m tonnes annual production target it had originally set for 2019.
The coronavirus pandemic, however, weighed even more on Vale's plans, with the company reducing its projection for the year on more than one occasion. Vale now expects to produce between 310 million and 330 million tonnes of iron ore fines in 2020, down from the 340 million to 355 million previously forecast.
In short, S11D it is the highest grade iron ore mine in the world, which allows Vale to use waterless processing technology to screen and screen the ore before putting it into giant stockpiles. That means you don't need a tailings dam to store the waste.
