Vale Receives Expansion Permit for Serra Sul Mine

Written by Amir Richani for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Ibama, Brazil's environmental authority, has approved Vale's (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Serra Sul) project's operating license. The project is expected to boost production from the S11D mine in Pará by 20 million tons of iron ore per year.

The project foresees investments worth US$2.8 billion. So far, Serra Sul has reached 57% financial progress and 77% physical progress. The project's commissioning date is scheduled for the second half of next year.

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The mine's expansion includes the development of new mining areas. Plans include installing a new semi-mobile crusher, enlarging the current long-distance conveyor belt, and implementing new processing lines.

The S11D mine is one of Vale's largest mining operations. It produced 83 million tons of iron ore throughout last year. In the first half of 2025, the asset had an output of 40.3 million tons, an increase of 8.2% compared to the same period last year.

Recently, Vale pledged to invest some 67 billion reais (approximately US$12.5 billion) in multiple developments across its mines in Minas Gerais, with a focus on expanding tailing filtering and dry stacking across its operations in the state.

New projects and developments across its operations have pushed Vale to increase its production guidance for next year from 325-335 million tons of iron ore in 2025 to 340-360 million tons in 2026.

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