Anglo American said on Monday it has received a final license to operate its Minas-Rio project in Brazil, as part of the company’s phase 3 project.
The Minas-Rio project includes a 529kmlong (328milelong) pellet feed-transporting slurry pipeline.
Anglo American said regulators granted a license allowing the company to operate at full capacity.
“This is an important milestone for our Minas-Rio iron ore operation in Brazil towards reaching its full potential. Minas-Rio has a long asset life of 48 years and produces a high grade, premium quality product for our customers, supporting lower emissions in the steel industry. We expect Minas-Rio to produce 23 million tonnes in 2019, with an FOB unit cost of $24 per tonne,” CEO Seamus French said in a statement.
Anglo American said the Minas-Rio tailings dam uses a downstream construction design, which uses “a conservative and high-quality design” for a tailings dam, built as a “water-retaining type of dam,” it said.