Applies to Mining Work in Itabira and Removes Workers from the Site

Vale Announced This Sunday The Suspension Of The Elevation Works Being Carried Out At The Itabiruçu Dam, In Itabira, Minas Gerais. According To The Company, The Measure Was “Preventive”.

The Mining Company Vale Announced This Sunday, July 28, That It Had To Preventively Suspend The Elevation Works Happening At The Itabiruçu Dam, In Itabira, In The Central Region Of Minas Gerais. The Measure Was Taken Because “Changes Due To Differential Settlements In The Ground, Effects Likely To Occur During This Type Of Work” Were Identified, Says A Statement Released By The Mining Company.

The Workers Were Also Removed From The Site. The Company Says There Is No Risk Of Collapse. However, The Dam, Which Holds 220 Million Cubic Meters Of Mining Waste In Minas Gerais – 18 Times Larger Than The Structure That Collapsed In January In The City Of Brumadinho, In The Greater Belo Horizonte Area – Has Not Experienced Any Changes In Safety And Stability Indices.

The Suspension Happened On Saturday Afternoon, The 27th, With The Recommendation From The Person Responsible For The Works, Called A “Preventive Safety Measure” By Vale In The Statement, “Being Given After The Identification Of Changes Due To Differential Settlements In The Ground, Effects Likely To Occur During This Type Of Work”.

The Company Also States That It Has Reported To The Competent Authorities, Who Have Already Conducted An Inspection At The Site. Additionally, More In-Depth Studies Are Being Carried Out By The Mining Company, And If Necessary, “Corrective Measures Will Be Taken”.

“It Is Important To Emphasize That There Are No Changes In The Safety And Stability Indices Of The Itabiruçu Dam – Minas Gerais. It Should Be Noted That The Dam Is Built Using The Downstream Method, Considered The Safest. Vale Conducts Comprehensive Monitoring Of The Structure, Which Had Its Stability Condition Declaration (DCE) Renewed On March 30 Of This Year”, Concludes The Text.

A Resident Of The City, Who Said He Lives Just Below The Dam That Had The Works Suspended. “There Are 33 Dams Around Us. They Are Further Increasing This Dam, And The Diocese Here In The City Even Held A Protest. They Say Everything Is Normal, But If It Were, They Wouldn’t Have Removed All The Workers From There,” He Argued.

Itabira, Birthplace Of Vale, In Minas Gerais, Is Racing Against Time To Find Alternatives That Reduce The Impact Of The End Of Iron Ore Exploration By Vale. According To The 20F Report, Intended For The International Market And Published By The Company In 2017, The Forecast Is That The Conceição 1 And 2 Mines Will Be Exhausted In Ten Years.

It Is About 43 Million Tons Per Year. The Mining Company Reported That It Did Not Intend To Leave Itabira But Was Preparing To Change Its Business. The Idea Is That The Plants Will Be Used To Process Ore From The Entire Iron Quadrilateral In Minas Gerais.

The Railroad Operated By Vale Will Be Connected To The Port Of Açu And Will Have A Route Through Comperj