The company resumed its operations on December 23, with 26% of its total production capacity, which represents the production of about 7-8 million tonnes of iron ore per year.
Samarco’s operations were suspended following the failure of the Fundão dam in November 2015.
The dam, owned by Samarco – controlled by Vale and BHP – burst, releasing 39.2 million cubic meters of tailings waste in the Rio Doce Basin, killing 19 people. It was considered Brazil’s worst environmental disaster.
Samarco’s gradual restart of operations incorporates concentrator 3 at the Germano complex in Minas Gerais state and pelletising plant 4 at Ubu, Espirito Santo state, as well as a new system of tailings disposal combining a confined pit and tailings filtering system for dry stacking.
The company estimates that in 2029 it should reach a production scale between 22 million and 24 million tonnes of iron ore per year, the same level as before the tragedy.
