The loosening of fragments along the wall at Vale's idle Gongo Soco iron ore mine in Brazil's Minas Gerais state should have no impact on the company's iron ore production levels, the mining giant said Friday.
Vale discovered that sections of the excavated area's north wall started to break loose in the early morning on Friday, it said in a statement..
"First indications are that the material is slipping in a gradual manner ... and that the breaking free of the wall should occur without major consequences," Vale said.
A Vale spokeswoman later said the mine has been inactive since 2016. She added that Vale still expects its total iron ore sales this year to be reduced by 50 million mt to 75 million mt from the originally budgeted sales target of 383 million mt, as announced late March. This follows production curbs that followed the collapse of a tailings dam at Vale's Corrego do Feijao mine, also in Minas Gerais, causing multiple fatalities and leading iron ore prices to five-year highs.
The excavated area at Gongo Soco and the Sul Superior tailings dam, 1.5 km away, continue to be monitored remotely 24 hours a day by radar, robots and drones. The dam has been under a Level 3 alert since March 22 and the surrounding area was evacuated as a precaution on February 8, Vale said.
