Brazilian miner Vale informed that the elimination of its B3/B4 dam, located at the Mar Azul mine, in Nova Lima, state of Minas Gerais, will be completed in 2024, three years ahead of schedule.
More than 88 percent of the material from the structure's reservoir has already been removed and the works, which include the stabilization of the remaining terrain, implementation of drainage systems and revegetation of the area, are now expected to be completed during the second half of 2024.
According to the company, the anticipation was possible due to the utilization of remotely controlled equipment, coupled with improvement of internal drainage conditions in the dam reservoir, allowing for the removal of waste at a faster rate than previously expected.
The company added that the process will be repeated with other similar structures in the process of elimination.
The B3/B4 dam is one of the 17 upstream dams that will still be eliminated by Vale and is part of the company's dam elimination program. Since 2019, of the 30 planned structures, 13 (ten in Minas Gerais and three in Pará) have already been eliminated, which is equivalent to more than 40 percent of the total.
Those upstream technology dams are similar to the Corrego do Feijão dam, that collapsed in Brumadinho in 2019.