The Brazilian miner, Vale, said in a statement that it has concluded negotiations with the US Government’s Department of Energy (DOE) and Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, and will start Phase 1 of the project to develop a briquette plant in the state of Louisiana.
For this phase, Vale received $3.8 million from DOE, which will be used to develop engineering studies and community engagement during 2025.
The funds will be granted to Vale’s wholly owned affiliate Vale USA LLC, in an agreement within DOE’s Industrial Demonstration Program (IDP).
The total amount for the construction of the plant will reach $282.9 million, to be spent during the project timeframe until 2031.
This project envisions industrial-scale production of Vale’s iron ore briquette, customized for the direct reduced iron (DRI) route.
In the first stage, the plant will have a 1.5 million mt of yearly production capacity, with potential to expand.
According to Vale, compared to traditional iron ore pellet, the “briquettes innovative technology offers a significant reduction of CO2 emissions, sulfur oxides, and nitrous oxides in a process with minimal water use".