Vale SA said Sept. 12 that it will resume nickel mining and processing operations at Onca Puma in Brazil's Para state after a decision by the Supreme Federal Court to suspend injunctions.
Processing operations were suspended in June, while mining operations were halted in September 2017 due to Brazilian court orders following allegations of pollution at a nearby river.
The company said separately that it suspended work in a mining front of the Brucutu iron ore mine in Brazil's Minas Gerais state, though this will not impact production. Brazil's National Mining Agency decided the mining front exceeded the mineral reserve limit approved for the respective area.
However, the company believes that it fulfilled all requirements to operate the mining front, reporting them in its 2017 economic utilization plan it submitted to the agency.
Vale added that it will take the appropriate steps to resolve this case, reaffirming its 2019 iron ore and pellets sales guidance of 307 million to 332 million tonnes.
In June, the company obtained a court order allowing it to fully resume wet processing operations at Brucutu.
Operations at Brucutu were suspended in February in the wake of the Feijao dam disaster that killed hundreds of people.
