Brazilian miner Vale has announced that it has inaugurated its first high-tech model plant in Itabira, Minas Gerais, marking a new stage in its data-driven operational strategy.
The Conceição 2 plant, with an annual production capacity of 11.2 million mt, has been modernized through the integration of artificial intelligence, automation and advanced monitoring systems, aiming to increase safety, operational predictability and efficiency while reducing employees’ exposure to high-risk activities.
According to Vale, the modernization process, completed in 18 months, included 51 solutions designed to eliminate bottlenecks and improve operations. More than 100 monitoring cameras were installed, around 7,300 instruments were automated and data intelligence is now used to manage and optimize over 400 variables across the ore processing stages. The company stated that the AI layer enables real-time adjustments according to ore and product characteristics, while revised operational flows help anticipate failures and prevent unplanned stoppages.
During the pilot phase, the plant increased productivity by 25 percent and reached its planned capacity. The unit produced 9 million mt in 2024 and is now qualified to produce 11.2 million mt per year. Vale also reported a 40 percent increase in the share of direct reduction pellet feed, a premium product considered strategic for steel industry decarbonization, as well as improvements in mineral recovery and resource utilization.
The company added that online ore content analysis during beneficiation allows immediate process adjustments, improving iron recovery and reducing tailings generation. By 2026, the average iron content in tailings had been reduced by 26 percent. In addition, 92 percent of the water used at the Conceição 2 plant is currently recirculated following ore and tailings filtration.
Vale stated that the Itabira model plant will serve as a benchmark for expanding the same operational model to other units, reinforcing the company’s strategy to build safer, more sustainable and more competitive mining operations through technology, innovation and employee development.
