Brazilian pellet producer Samarco, a 50/50 joint venture between Vale and BHP Billiton, has confirmed it expects to resume activities by December this year, according to a media report from A Gazeta.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, the company expected to resume operations by year-end, but this week the company unveiled a more specific timeline.
The company said restart works are now 61 percent complete. Samarco has already hired 1,300 people, and expects to hire another 700 by the year-end as it resumes activities.
The company’s Ubu plant, in the city of Anchieta, in the state of Espirito Santo, should be the first to resume activities, and gradually resume operations with reduced capacity.