Anglo American said iron ore output at its Minas-Rio project in Q4 declined 19 percent, year-on-year, to 4 million mt. As for the full year of 2017, iron ore production at the Brazilian site rose 4 percent, year-on-year, to 16.8 million mt.
Anglo said it remains focused on obtaining necessary licenses to advance the Minas-Rio project to phase 3, which will allow it to reach a nominal capacity of 26.5 million mt per year.
The Minas-Rio iron ore project is comprised of an open pit mine, a beneficiation plant producing high-grade pellet feed, and a 529kmlong (328milelong) pellet feed-transporting pipeline connecting different cities in the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.