ArcelorMittal Mineracao, the mining arm of ArcelorMittal Brazil, was granted an installing license by the state council of environmental policy, Copam, to expand its Andrade mine in Minas Gerais state.
The existing Andrade mine will include a new beneficiation plant to produce itabirites, banded hematite-silica rocks that can be used to produce steel. The itabirite produced at Andrade will be get higher Fe content to be used in steelmaking.
As a result of the use of itabirite, ArcelorMittal Brazil expects to increase the life cycle of its Andrade mine from 40 to 56 years. ArcelorMittal Mineracao expects to conclude the Andrade mine expansion works by 2020 with investments of about BRL 115.7 million.