The Brazilian mining company, Vale finalized its works to eliminate three more dam structures built using the upstream method, all in Minas Gerais state.
The works were conducted on the Auxiliary Dike of Dam 5, at the Águas Claras mine, in Nova Lima-MG; and at the Ipoema dam, at the Meio mine, and Dique 3 of the Pontal System, at Nina Cauê, both in Itabira-Minas Gerais.
Vale finished this elimination, fulfilling the goal of decharacterizing (De-characterisation means reintegrating the structure into the environment to guarantee that it no longer serves as containment of tailings) five such structures this year.
The goal follows a deadly 2019 disaster, when a structure collapsed in the city of Brumadinho, killing several people.
With the recent announcement, Vale removed 40% of the structures under its Upstream Dam Decharacterisation Programme. The company has eliminated 12 structures since 2019, including five this year.
“The elimination of the company’s upstream dams in Brazil is part of a deep transformation in the management of the tailings disposal structures, and one of Vale’s main actions to prevent failures like the one in Brumadinho from happening again,” the company said.
After the Brumadinho disaster, the federal government coerced miners to decommission all tailings dams by the first quarter of this year.
The Upstream structures pose greater risks of failure, and Vale plans to eliminate 30 of them by 2035.
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