Brazilian steelmaker ArcelorMittal Brazil is seeking alternatives to decommission its Serra Azul iron ore dam, the company said.
“The Serra Azul mine is mulling alternatives for resuming the dam’s decommissioning (process) in a safe way,” the company said in a statement emailed to SteelOrbis.
ArcelorMittal Brazil did not provide a timeline for decommissioning the dam, which has been inactive since October 2012. The company said the dam decommissioning process will take place “after” the company concludes the needed improvements for restoring what it labeled as “the safety factor” in the idled structure.
ArcelorMittal Brazil operates the Serra Azul mine, which has a 1.2 million mt/year iron ore capacity. As the Serra Azul dam became inactive in October 2012, ArcelorMittal has been using a safer method for storing iron ore, also known as “dry” processing, in which waste is stored in dry piles and pits.