The Brazilian arm of Vallourec announced the partial restart of activities at its Pau Branco iron ore mine, located in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
The mining operations were halted on January 8, 2022 following intense rainfall in the region, causing a spill at its Lisa Dam, which affected the traffic of a nearby federal road, BR-40.
According to the company, more than 160 emergency actions are currently in development, in an attempt to reduce environmental damages and to recover the affected areas.
The company added that it has restarted operations partially at its iron ore mine based on the approval of the mining authorities, to resume them for a period of three months, without using the waste pile. Under these temporary conditions, it is targeted to progressively ramp up from 70 percent to full capacity.
In parallel, it will prepare the return to normal operations, which will be subject to the validation of the stability of the waste pile by the mining and state environmental authorities.