Brazilian miner Vale produced 321.1 million mt of iron ore in 2023, 4.3 percent more than in 2022.
According to the company, the increase reflects continued initiatives to improve asset reliability at S11D, in the north of the country, and solid performance at Itabira and Vargem Grande complexes, in the southeast, coupled with higher third-party purchases.
In 2023, the production of pellets reached 36.5 million mt, 14 percent more than in 2022, an increase made possible by the higher production of pellet feed grade ore in the Brucutu mine.
The company started in Q4 the production of briquettes, in line with its strategy to support steelmaking decarbonization by expanding the iron ore agglomerates supply.
During Q4, Vale produced 89.4 million mt of iron ore, 11 percent more than in Q4 2022, an increase reflecting the higher volume produced in December, the highest monthly output since 2018.
Pellet production reached 9.9 million mt Q4, 19 percent higher than in Q4 2022.
For 2024, the company has a guidance of producing iron ore in a range of 310 to 320 million mt, and 38 to 42 million mt of pellets.
The average price realization of the company for iron ore fines in 2023 was $108.10/mt, while for pellets it was $161.90/mt, representing increases on yearly basis by 12.6 and 1.4 percent, respectively.