Vale stated that is complying with Resolution 70.389/2017 for the immediate suspension of activities at the Fábrica and Vargem Grande complexes. This measure is in order to avoid potential problems triggering failures by liquefaction in the Forquilha I, Forquilha II, Forquilha III, Grupo and Vargem Grande dams.
It is four weeks since the breach at a tailings dam near the company's Corrego do Feijão iron ore mine in the town of Brumadinho in Minas Gerais. More than 300 people are either dead or missing.
However, Vale will appeal to the ANM collegiate to allow for mechanical dismantling by tractor and for the company to resume its concentration and pelletising plants operations, which will lead to limited impact on estimated production volumes.
Vale also noted that the interruption of blasting operations and the introduction of mechanical dismantling by tractor in the nearby mines were already part of its decommissioning plans of the upstream dams.
