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The Brazilian mining company Samarcoa joint venture between Okay and BHPplans to regain its position as the world’s second largest exporter of iron ore pellets from 2028, the company’s CEO declared on Tuesday, Rodrigo Vilela.
Samarco has fallen in the ranking of pellet exporters—led by Okay— after suspending part of its operations following the deadly collapse of its Fundão waste dam in 2015.
Samarco expects to return to full capacity — between 26 million and 27 million metric tons per year of fine iron ore and pellets — in 2028, starting from about 60% of that amount where it is currently, he said Vilela.
To carry out the plan, Samarco plans to invest 13.8 billion reais (US$2.7 billion), he added during a mining event held in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte.
The current goal of Samarco is to face compensation related to the collapse of the dam and restore production capacity, but it could be considered expanding it in the future, he said. Vilela.
The company plans to produce 2 million tons of iron ore fines from mining waste by 2028, up from 300,000 tons recorded to date in 2026.
