Brazil-based miner Vale has announced its operational results for the fourth quarter last year, reporting iron ore production of 83 million mt, rising 2.1 percent year on year. In the given period, Vale's pellet production amounted to 11.6 million mt, up 11.8 percent compared to the same quarter of 2013.
During 2014, Vale produced 319.2 million mt of iron ore, up 6.5 percent, setting an all-time output record, while its pellet output increased by 10.2 percent to 42.9 million mt, both compared to the previous year.
In the fourth quarter, Vale's nickel production increased by 8.4 percent year on year to 73,600 mt. In 2014, the company's nickel output rose by 5.7 percent year on year to 275,000 mt, constituting the highest annual production volume since 2008, though the figure was short of the miner's annual guidance of 289,000 mt.