Brazilian pellet producer Samarco expects to resume operations by Q4 2018, a media report from Bloomberg said, citing unnamed sources.
The company’s restart, which has been delayed several times due to unobtained licenses, now depends on a license for Vale’s Alegria Sul pit that will be used to store waste.
Samarco reportedly filed a request for a license at a Minas Gerais state environmental authority in September.
Samarco, a 50/50 joint venture between Vale and BHP Billiton, halted output in November 2015, following a deadly iron ore waste dam burst, which killed 19 people.