Brazil-based miner Vale has announced its operational results for the fourth quarter last year, reporting iron ore production of 85.4 million mt, rising 2.9 percent year on year. In the given period, Vale's pellet production amounted to 10.4 million mt, down 10.9 percent compared to the same quarter of 2014, mainly due to scheduled maintenance stoppages at some plants.
In 2015, Vale produced 333.4 million mt of iron ore, up 4.4 percent, while its pellet output increased by 7.5 percent to 46.2 million mt, reaching a record level with the ramp-up of the Tubarão 8 plant, both compared to the previous year.
In the fourth quarter, Vale's nickel production increased by 15.4 percent year on year to 82,700 mt, achieving a quarterly record. In 2015, the company's nickel output rose by 5.7 percent year on year to 291,000 mt.