Productive capacity from ArcelorMittal’s new $475 million iron ore processing facility located at its Serra Azul mine, located at Itatiaiuçu, Minas Gerais State, will triple from 1.5 million metric tons (mt) to 4.5 million mt, the Brazilian arm of the company said today in a press statement.
The company said the enhanced production is slated to serve the ArcelorMittal plant in Mexico with pellet feed fines having up to 67 percent iron content and low level of impurities.
The ore will be delivered to a local railway terminal, then loaded and carried 500 kilometers to Sudeste Port in Rio de Janeiro state, where it will be shipped to Mexico.
The Serra Azul Mine has been in operation since 1969 and was acquired by ArcelorMittal in 2008. The new structure will extend the mine's lifespan until 2056.
The expansion of the Serra Azul Mine is part of ArcelorMittal's $5 billion investment cycle, which began in 2022 and is in its final stages of completion. The program includes the modernization of industrial units, expansion of the product and service portfolio, acquisitions and investments in renewable energy.
