Vale Base Metals boosts nickel output with Onça Puma furnace start-up
Vale Base Metals (VBM) has started operating a second processing furnace at its Onça Puma mining complex in Brazil’s Pará state, lifting nameplate capacity to 40 000 t/y.
The Furnace 2 project, completed on schedule and nearly 13% under budget, adds 15 000 t/y of nickel capacity. It generated 2 500 jobs during construction and will support more than 1 800 permanent employees and contractors. No lost-time injuries were recorded during the three-year build.
“This investment and successful delivery of the project further demonstrates VBM's commitment to Pará and Brazil, while ensuring our world-class operations remain globally competitive,” said CEO Shaun Usmar.
“We recognise the importance of consistently delivering on our commitments as a foundational principle to support the large investments in our copper growth ambitions in Brazil planned over the coming decade.”
The expansion positions Onça Puma favourably on the global nickel cost curve and strengthens Brazil’s role as a strategic exporter of nickel to the stainless steel industry.
VBM remains on track to meet its 2025 guidance of 160 000 t to 175 000 t of nickel. The additional Onça Puma capacity, together with the ramp-up of underground production at Voisey’s Bay in Canada, is expected to push group output to between 210 000 t and 250 000 t by 2030.
Onça Puma, which began operations in 2011, is also a key driver of socioeconomic development in Pará, with contributions through employment, local procurement, tax revenue and direct investment.
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