Vale's Key Mining Facility Assets in Brazil, Canada Lift Metals Output in Q1

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Written by Amir Richani for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Vale began 2026 with a robust year-on-year rise in production and sales across key commodities. Iron ore rose on solid operations, while copper and nickel achieved double-digit growth.

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Mining Operations Score Gains

Vale opened 2026 with another quarter of stronger production and sales, as ramp-ups by the Capanema and Vargem Grande (VGR1) iron ore mines in Brazil and higher base metals output boosted volumes. Subscribers to the Industrial Info Resources Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Plant Database can view detailed plant profiles of these operations.

Vale's copper and nickel outputs achieved their best first-quarter results since 2017 and 2020, respectively. According to Industrial Info Resources data, there are 147 active capital Vale SA projects globally, worth $24.3 billion, and 75 operational Vale SA plants, including mines, smelters and concentrators, among other facilities.

Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the global miner produced 69.7 million tons of iron ore in the first quarter, up 3% year on year, with the amount of iron ore sold during the first quarter rising 3.9% to 68.7 million tons. The increase was supported by record first-quarter output at Serra Sul (S11) and Brucutu in Brazil and continued ramp-up at Capanema and VGR1.

Similarly, pellet production rose 13.7% year on year to 8.2 million tons, mainly due to improved performance at the Tubarão Iron Ore Pelletizing Complex in Brazil.

For iron ore, Vale's northern system in Brazil produced 33.2 million tons in the quarter, down 3.6% from a year earlier as the Serra Norte complex had lower run-of-mine availability. This was partly offset by S11D's first-quarter record of 19.9 million tons, due to asset reliability and higher mobile equipment utilization.

The southeastern system was the main growth driver, with production up by 19.2% to 19.2 million tons, supported by the continued Capanema ramp-up, which began operations in 2025 and is expected to reach full capacity in the second quarter of this year. Meanwhile, stronger Brucutu volumes and less maintenance downtime at Itabira Iron Ore Mining Complex also helped boost this system's volumes.

Other Commodities and Projects

The company also produced significant volumes of nickel and copper.

Copper output was 102,300 tons, up 12.5% year on year, driven by Vale's Brazilian assets, rising by nearly 20% to 81,800 tons. In Brazil, the Salobo mine delivered 52,800 tons, slightly above last year, while output from the Sossego mine jumped 81.3% to 29,000 tons due to strong mill performance and higher throughput ahead of planned maintenance.

In contrast, Vale's copper production in Canada fell 9.7% to 20,400 tons due to unusual snowstorms in Sudbury and unplanned maintenance at Clarabelle--Vale said those issues have been resolved.

Nickel production was 49,300 tons in the first quarter, up 12.3% year on year, while sales volumes rose 15.2% to 44,800 tons. The increase came from the Onça Puma operation in Brazil, with its second furnace running all quarter, and stronger output from the Voisey's Bay operation in Canada, lifting the Long Harbour refinery to record output.

Canadian nickel production increased 11.5% to 22,300 tons, with Voisey's Bay up 61.5% to 10,500 tons. In Brazil, Onça Puma produced 8,900 tons, a 64.8% increase and a first-quarter record.

For 2026, Vale maintained production guidance at 335 million to 345 million tons of iron ore, 350,000 to 380,000 tons of copper and 175,000 to 200,000 tons of nickel.

Key Takeaways

• Vale's iron ore production rose 3% year on year to 69.7 million tons in Q1.
• Copper output climbed 12.5% to 102,300 tons, primarily driven by Brazilian operations.
• Nickel production rose 12.3% to 49,300 tons, driven by Onça Puma and Voisey's Bay.

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