Brazilian iron ore pellet producer Samarco unveiled plans to return to full operational capacity. The facility stopped operations due to an accident in 2015, returning to production at low pace in 2020. The company itself remains under judicial recovery.
Previous plans of the company indicated that the full capacity, 31 million mt per year, would be achieved in 2026. However, according to the local press, the new plan indicates a capacity increase to 30 percent this year from the current pace of 26 percent, with the restart of operations of a second iron ore pipeline, linking mines in the Germano Mines in the state of Minas Gerais, to the pellet plant in the Ubú complex, in the state of Espírito Santo.
In 2025, with the start-up of a second concentration line, the pace will increase to 60 percent, while in 2028, with a third concentration line, the operation will reach the 100 percent pace.