A Brazilian court has ordered mining giant Vale (NYSE:VALE) to halt operations at its Brucutu iron ore mine, the largest in Minas Gerais state, following last month's tailings dam disaster at Brumadinho, which left at least 134 dead.
The veredict, quoted by O Globo, one of the most respected Brazilian publications, includes an injunction that bans Vale from storing tailings in the Laranjeiras dam at Brucutu, part of the firm's Minas Centrais complex.
The court order also prevents Vale from disposing tailings or practicing any activity potentially capable of increasing the risks of Menezes II, Capit??o do Mato, Dique B, Taquaras, Forquilha I, Forquilha II and Forquilha III dams, Vale said in a statement.
The Rio de Janeiro-based company added that only three of those facilities, Forquilha I, II and III, where built by the upstream method, adding they were already scheduled to shut down.
Vale noted it will take all legal measures necessary to overturn the decision, as the dams affected by the order have the correct licenses and documentation attesting to their stability and there is no technical reason that requires their closure.
With an annual capacity of 30 million tonnes of iron ore, Brucutu is Brazil's second largest mine.The court decision comes the same day it was brought to light that Germany's TUV SUD, the company that certified the safety of C??rrego do Feij??o mine's tailing, had worked as both a consultant and an independent safety evaluator for Vale, raising questions among experts over potential conflicts of interest.
The president of the Mariana Metabase Union, Angelo Eleut?(C)rio, who represents workers at the Brucutu mine, confirmed the information to Estado de Minas, adding that the shutdown was not part of the decommissioning plan announced by Vale last week.
On Jan. 29, the company said it would take as much as 10% of its ore output offline in order to decommission of all its upstream dams, such as the one that burst in Brumadinho.
Brucutu, which has an annual capacity of 30 million tonnes of iron ore and has been in operations for 13 years, is the second largest mine in the country, behind Vale's Caraj??s.
The operation does not have an upstream type of dam.
Click here for complete coverage of the dam burst at Vale's C??rrego do Feij??o mine.