Brazilian mining company Vale has decided to halt operations indefinitely at its Fazend??o iron ore mine in the south-eastern state of Minas Gerais, after an expansion permit was revoked in February by the local environmental development council.
The stoppage was announced by the municipality of Catas Altas - where the mine is located - on Tuesday March 3, and confirmed to Fastmarkets by a Vale spokeswoman on Wednesday. According to the company, the decision was made because of mine depletion.Fazend??o is part of Vale's Mariana complex, a group of mines in its south-eastern system. The complex produced 11.3 million tonnes of iron ore in 2019, down by 57.6% from 26.66 million tonnes in 2018 because units such as...