Brazilian miner Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (Vale) has announced its intention to reduce its pellet production due to low demand, by halting the operations of two of its pellet plants located at the port of Tubarão in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil.
The stoppage of the plants, with a total annual production capacity of 7.3 million mt, follows the shutdown since November 5 this year of two other Vale pellet plants at the port of Tubarão.
Moreover, Vale's JV Samarco Mineração has also stopped the operations of its two pellet plants until mid-January 2009. The plants currently being kept idled represent an overall total capacity of 29.3 million metric tons of pellets per year.