Brazilian iron ore producer Vale has suspended expansion plans at its Fazendão mine in the city of Catas Altas, in Minas Gerais state, according to a Catas Altas city statement.
The Catas Altas city council said Vale filed licensing documents for two projects: the Fazendão mine expansion, and to resume of activities at open pits Almas and Tamanduá.
The city said in a statement it denied Vale’s request to resume activities at the two iron ore open pits, as the miner had already halted operations at the two pits in 1991, years before Catas Altas became an independent city. Current city legislation doesn’t allow projects that may harm the environment, as it is the case with the two open pits.
The Fazendão mine expansion would increase iron ore output from 17 million mt/year to 25 million mt/year, and would use the São Luiz, Tamanduá and Almas pits. The Catas Altas city claimed several environmental issues with Vale using the Almas and Tamanduá pits, including water sources in the city, among other factors.