Vale has resumed operations at the Capanema mine in Brazil

Brazilian mining company Vale has resumed operations at its Capanema mine in the state of Minas Gerais, according to a company statement.

The restart of Capanema will add approximately 15 million tons per year to Vale’s iron ore production, contributing to the achievement of production targets of 340-360 million tons in 2026.

The mine will operate using natural moisture, without water during mineral processing, and without the creation of tailings ponds, eliminating the need for a dam. The new model also includes five autonomous off-road trucks and circularity solutions, such as processing ore from old dumps.

The mine has not been in operation for 22 years, and approximately R$5.2 billion (approximately $955 million) has been invested in its restoration, including facility upgrades and integration with other assets in the region to optimize processes and reduce environmental impact. This work took five years, with around 40 companies and 6,000 employees involved at its peak.

The resumption of operations at Capanema, the company notes, marks the beginning of a new phase for Vale in the state of Minas Gerais, with a total investment of R$67 billion ($12.3 billion) by 2030. They are part of a strategy aimed at offering a more flexible iron ore portfolio by improving operational performance.

Most of the investment will be directed towards solutions for expanding filtration and dry tailings storage in order to reduce the use of dams in the company’s operations in the state from 30% to 20%.

It should be noted that in the second quarter of 2025, Vale increased its iron ore production by 3.7% y/y – to 83.6 million tons. At the end of the first half of the year, the figure was 151.26 million tons, which is almost the same as last year.