Vale, the Brazilian mining company, has announced the construction of a new plant dedicated to extracting iron ore from waste materials. This initiative supports Vale's objective to generate approximately 10 percent of its iron ore from circular sources by 2023.
The new facility is designed with an annual production capacity of 2 million metric tons (mt) and will be situated at the Gongo Soco mine in Minas Gerais. It will focus on reprocessing waste and overburden from the mine, which has suspended its mining activities since 2016.
In addition to contributing to Vale’s production, which regained its position in 2025 as the world's largest iron ore producer, the new plant will also help accelerate the decommissioning process of the Sul Superior dam, which is currently at emergency level 2.
According to Vale, the volume of the structure in the municipality of Barão de Cocais is estimated at 4.1 million cubic meters. The new plant will be also sourced with material from two existing overburden piles at the operation.
The plant is scheduled to be constructed over a period of 19 months, with operations anticipated to commence in 2027.
