Brazilian steelmaker Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN) was granted a license for removing iron ore waste from its Casa de Pedra iron ore mine, Brazil’s second largest iron ore mine, after Vale’s Carajas, according to a media report from Brazil’s Folha.
According to Folha, CSN has been trying to increase capacity at the mine since 2014; however, it could not get approval for the planned capacity increase. As a result, the company had to request a license to remove iron ore waste from its B4 dam, while the capacity increase remains unapproved.
A Minas Gerais state environment authority said that if CSN doesn’t find a place to store the iron ore it produces it must halt output, as the company’s iron ore waste is reaching the dam’s limits.
Samarco’s deadly iron ore waste dam burst occurred amid a planned capacity increase, according to Folha.