Vale, the Brazilian mining company, has announced the emergency level of the Forquilha III dam at the Fábrica mine in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, has been lowered from level 3 to level 2, following a decision by the Brazilian National Mining Agency (ANM). With this adjustment, Vale reports that it no longer manages any dams classified as emergency level 3, thereby meeting its strategic goal for 2025.
In addition, Vale has implemented the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) across all of its tailings dams and has successfully de-characterized 17 out of 30 such structures in Brazil. These measures were introduced in response to the Brumadinho Dam collapse in 2019, which stands as the deadliest occupational accident and second largest environmental disaster in Brazilian history.
The company also stated that it maintains continuous monitoring and control protocols for its dams, with operations running 24 hours a day, seven days a week.