Business

3Q21 Production Report



Vale´s Production Report for the third quarter of 2021 (3Q21) was released on Tuesday, October 19th. The third quarter of Vale S.A. (“Vale”) was noticeable by increased production of iron ore and coal, following their respective production recovery plans and better weather conditions; the sharp drop in iron ore prices (-US$ 37/dmt of 62%Fe index vs. 2Q21) leading to a review on production and sales of high-silica iron ore products; gradual resumption of the North Atlantic Base Metals operations after conclusion of a new five-year collective bargaining agreement in Sudbury, and incident at Totten mine with all 39 employees having safely returned to the surface.

Vale remains committed to its capacity resumption plan, which is also associated with eliminating restrictions and optimizing costs.

Download production report

See highlights of some of our businesses:

Iron Ore and pellets

  • Vale’s iron ore fines production totaled 89.4 Mt in 3Q21, 18.1% higher than in 2Q21.
  • Vale’s pellet production totalled 8.3 Mt in 3Q21, in line with 2Q21, still restricted by pellet feed availability in Itabira and Brucutu.
  • Sales volumes of iron ore fines and pellets totalled 75.9 Mt in 3Q21, in line with 2Q21.
Find out more about our iron ore and pellet activities

Nickel

  • Production of finished nickel was 30.2 kt in 3Q21, 27.2% lower than 2Q21, mainly due to the labour disruption at Sudbury, which halted operations for 70 days, of which 40 days were in 3Q21, with an impact of 11 kt on finished nickel production in the quarter.
  • In addition, Onça Puma went through extended maintenance during 3Q21, with production resuming late September.
  • We expect to produce 45-50 kt of nickel in 4Q21, resulting in a production of approximately 165-170 kt of nickel for the year of 2021.
Find out more about our nickel activities

Copper

  • Copper production reached 69.2 kt in 3Q21, 5.7% lower compared to 2Q21, mainly due to the labour disruption at Sudbury, which affected total copper production by 16 kt in the quarter.
  • We expect to produce 75-80 kt of copper in 4Q21, resulting in a production of approximately 295-300 kt of copper for the year of 2021.
Find out more about our copper activities

Coal

  • Coal production was 19.4% higher than in 2Q21 and 78.1% higher than in 3Q20 as a result of the improved productivity of the revamped plant.
  • Coal sales grew strongly both on a quarter-on-quarter and year-over-year basis following the improved operational performance and stronger demand of the seaborne market.
Find out more about our coal activities

3Q21 financial report

The 3Q21 financial report will be released on October 28th. After the report´s release, some of our key executives will participate, on October 29th, in webcasts with investors to present the quarter’s results. Click here to learn more about webcasts. Click here to learn more about webcasts.