Vale clarifies that its decision to decommission all 19 upstream dams dedicated to iron ore in Brazil was made back in 2016, right after Samarco's accident. Over the past few years, the company halted operations using those dams and kept all related stability reports issued by specialized and independent companies.

Since that decision in 2016, nine upstream dams have been fully decommissioned upon due approval by the relevant authorities.

Decommissioning is the process of ending use of a dam permanently. After the works are carried out, the remaining structure is fully stable and is reincorporated into the relief and the environment.

With the breach of the Brumadinho dam, Vale decided to expedite the decommissioning process of the 10 remaining upstream dams. To this end, as announced by Vale's CEO Fábio Schvartsman, the company will have to halt operations temporarily and commence the works once all required authorizations are granted. All 19 dams have been completely inactive and all related stability reports are in place.

Watch the video where the Ferrous Metals Planning and Development Lúcio Cavalli explains the dam decommissioning process.

Click here to download the video.