De-characterization Program
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Progress: Dam in the municipality of Ouro Preto (MG) has emergency level reduced
The Grupo Dam, located at the Fábrica Mine, is in the process of being de-characterized and has already had almost 60% of its tailings removed. Click here for more details on the Ouro Preto Dam.
Our commitment is to increase the safety of the communities where we operate and protect the environment.
With that in mind, in 2019 we started a program to eliminate all our dams in Brazil that have an upstream method (backed on tailings).
The process is technically called “de-characterization” and is established in current dam legislation.
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Upstream Dam De-Characterization Program in Brazil
Vale's priority is the safety of people and communities downstream of its operations, as well as the safety of all its structures. In this regard, one Vale’s main initiatives is the Upstream Dam De-Characterization Program, which includes all 30 of our upstream dams, dikes, and drained stacks with upstream construction methods in Brazil.
The de-characterization of upstream-built structures (over tailings or sediments) is a commitment Vale has undertaken since the collapse of the B1 dam in Brumadinho, Brazil, which has also become a legal requirement.
This is a complex process; each project has its own characteristics and challenges, with our main concern being the safety of people and the environment. Vale plans to complete its de-characterization program by 2035.
Due to the technical complexity involved in de-characterization works and actions necessary to enhance structure safety, Vale entered into an agreement in February 2022 with the state of Minas Gerais, regulatory bodies, and State and Federal Public Prosecutors to establish a new schedule and reinforce commitment to eliminate all its upstream structures in the country.
What is dam de-characterization?
It is the process that eliminates the dam's function of retaining tailings and water. It is a project that aims to increase the safety of communities, the environment and the company's employees. To help you understand more about how we are working to eliminate upstream dams, we have created a series of educational videos on the subject.
Upstream Dam De-characterization Program
Schedule of the Upstream Dams De-characterization Program in Brazil
| Structure / City | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sul Superior Dam | Barão de Cocais | ||||||||||||
| Doutor Dam | Ouro Preto | ||||||||||||
| Campo Grande Dam¹ | Mariana | ||||||||||||
| Xingu Dam | Mariana | ||||||||||||
| B3/B4² Dam² | Nova Lima | ||||||||||||
| 8B Dam | Nova Lima | ||||||||||||
| Vargem Grande Dam | Nova Lima | ||||||||||||
| Dike Auxiliar B5 | Nova Lima | ||||||||||||
| Fernandinho Dam | Nova Lima | ||||||||||||
| Grupo Dam | Ouro Preto |
| Structure / City | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forquilhas I Dam | Ouro Preto | ||||||||||||
| Forquilhas II Dam | Ouro Preto | ||||||||||||
| Forquilhas III Dam | Ouro Preto | ||||||||||||
| Baixo João Pereira Dam | Congonhas | ||||||||||||
| Área IX Dam | Ouro Preto | ||||||||||||
| Dike Minervino | Itabira | ||||||||||||
| Dike Cordão Nova Vista | Itabira | ||||||||||||
| Dike 2 Pontal Dam I Itabira | ||||||||||||
| Dike 3 Pontal Dam | Itabira | ||||||||||||
| Dike 4 Pontal Dam | Itabira |
| Structure / City | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dike 5 – Pontal Dam | Itabira | ||||||||||||
| Dike Conceição 1 A | Itabira | ||||||||||||
| Dike Conceição 1 B | Itabira | ||||||||||||
| ED Vale das Cobras | Rio Piracicaba | ||||||||||||
| ED Monjolo | Rio Piracicaba | ||||||||||||
| Dike Ipoema | Itabira | ||||||||||||
| Dike Rio do Peixe | Itabira | ||||||||||||
| Dike 2 | Kalunga Dam | ||||||||||||
| Dike 3 | Kalunga Dam | ||||||||||||
| Pondes de Rejeitos³ | Igarapé Bahia Dam |
Engineering development/preliminary actions
De-characterization works in progress
Structures eliminated (de-characterized)
Swipe right to check other structures
1 Campo Grande: Due to the need to implement instruments, probings and complementary engineering studies, the completion date for Campo Grande changed from 2025 to 2026.
2 B3/B4: Due to a higher-than-expected productivity achieved with unmanned equipment, the tailings conditions and the low impact of operations on the stability of the dam observed so far, in addition to a reduction in the volume of tailings to be removed, due to advances in studies of engineering, there is a trend for 2025.
3 Tailings Ponds: Completed in 2021 – Made official in 2022
Technology, innovation and safety
We are always innovating in the adoption of technologies that promote people's safety . We also carried out a series of actions with the goal of reducing the impacts of the works on the community and controlling the risks of operations.
Unmanned equipment
Operation of vehicles remotely and outside the risk area, which increases employee safety.
Safe access to dams
Use of equipment to protect teams during activities in dam risk areas.
Remote probing
Remote operation of a rig to investigate the tailings and obtain geotechnical data from the structures.
Tailing disposal
Use of unmanned earthwork equipment (remote operation), allowing the dismantling of elevations and removal of material by dredgers (under study).
Monitoring
Vale monitors its dams 24 hours a day, at the Geotechnical Monitoring Center, which ensures that these construction stages are carried out safely for all those involved in the works and the communities.
Financial Resources for De-characterization of Upstream Dams
As regularly disclosed in Vale’s Financial Statements since 2019, Vale disbursed $1.6 billion for the De-characterization Program ending on December 31,2023, with a $3.5 billion provision balance for disbursement flow of the program.
Technical Reports
Technical Reports
Frequently Asked Questions
De-characterization is the act of intervening in the structure with the objective of making it completely lose the characteristics of a dam. At the end of the works, the structure is completely stable and is reincorporated into the relief and the environment.
Decomissioning, in turn, is the initial stage of the de-characterization process, beginning with the confirmation that the dam is no longer necessary in the operational context of the enterprise and, therefore, may be deactivated or de-characterized.
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