Vale informs that it received, on this date, the Installation License (LI) from the Environment and Sustainability Department of the State of Pará (SEMAS) for the resumption and the expansion of Serra Leste operations, in the city of Curionópolis (PA), which have been halted since January 2019, after reaching the limit of the area previously licensed for the extraction of iron ore.

In the coming weeks, maintenance will be carried out for the safe resumption of operations in December. Serra Leste, which has a production capacity of 6 Mpty, is expected to produce around 4-5 Mtpy in 2021, reaching its full capacity in 2022, following the planned resumption activities ramp-up. The expansion project, which consists of the adaptation and repowering of the existing plant, will allow a capacity upgrade to 10 Mpty, with start-up expected in the first semester of 2023.

The return of Serra Leste is another step in the stabilization of iron ore production and on the way to the return of the production capacity of 400 Mtpy.