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| Vale To Celebrate 25th Anniversary Of First Shipment From Carajás |
| = Iron ore output by end 2009 reaches 1.2 billion metric tons = |
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Brazilian minerals and base metals producer Vale has announced that on February 28 it will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first iron ore shipment from Carajás and the inauguration of the Carajás railroad (EFC). In its first year of operation – 1985 - Carajás produced just 4.5 Mt. The mark of 100 Mt of accumulated production was achieved only in 1990. The first 1 billion metric ton mark was reached in October, 2007, and by the end of 2009 the accumulated iron ore output had reached 1.2 billion metric tons to make the mine the world's largest high grade iron ore source. A large number of Japanese entities, such as steel companies including Nippon Steel, trading companies and banks have extended positive cooperation to the development of Carajás Iron Ore Mine (Northern System), thereby constituting a commemorative enterprise between Japan and Brazil as well. Having high grade hematite orebodies, Carajás is located 550 km south of Belem and 100 km southwest of Marabá in Pará, extending 200 km to the west. Carajás has 7.2 billion metric tons of proven and probable reserves – by far the number one in the world - and huge resources of the best iron ore, with the highest iron content and the lowest degrees of impurities. It has the largest processing plant capacity - 100 Mt/a - and a fleet of 105 trucks, including 103 that can carry as much as 240 metric tons and two giant trucks with a capacity of 400 metric tons, all these hauling iron ore produced up to the shipping port Ponta da Madeira (PDM). Operations are supported by a large and highly efficient logistics infrastructure, composed of the Carajás railroad - one of the most efficient cargo railroads in the world with 892 km of extension and 330-wagon trains - and the Ponta da Madeira maritime terminal. Given its very large high-quality mineral reserves, low operational costs and the price premium earned by its products arising from their superior value-in-use, Carajás will be the primary source of the expansion of our production capacity in the foreseeable future. Our investment plans announced in October last year encompass a 130 Mt/a capacity expansion of Carajás to be delivered over the next five years. This entails the development of new mines, the building of processing plants and, particularly, the enlargement of our logistics infrastructure. Therefore, Carajás will continue to contribute to the development of an efficient global steel industry with the best quality raw material. In addition to iron ore, Carajás is also home to our largest manganese mine, Azul, and to the Sossego copper mine. Vale's investment plans announced in October 2009 contemplate among others capacity expansion at Carajás to 130 Mt/a during the next five years, 100-km extension of Carajás railway for connection to the southern range of Carajás, duplication of 605 km of tracks and building of fourth pier of the PDM maritime terminal, etc. |
| last modified : Wed 24 Feb, 2010 [10:12] |
