- Write by:
-
Saturday, December 22, 2018 - 2:49:01 PM
-
941 Visit
-
Print
Mining News Pro - Anglo American has resumed operations at its Minas-Rio iron ore mine in Brazil almost nine months since it suspended activities following the discovery of two leaks along the 529 km slurry pipeline.
According to Mining News Pro - The restart of the integrated iron ore operation follows a technical inspection of the pipeline that carries the iron ore in slurry form from the mine to the port, the repair of certain sections of the pipeline and receipt of the appropriate regulatory approvals, Anglo said.
“The inspection of the entire pipeline by specialist pipeline inspection devices (PIGs), and the analysis of the collected data by expert teams drawn from Brazil and internationally, confirmed the pipeline’s integrity,” the company added.
As part of Anglo’s “responsible approach” to the leaks, it has pre-emptively replaced a 4 km stretch of pipeline where the two leaks of non-hazardous material occurred, as well as a small number of individual sections of pipe where the PIGs detected minor anomalies below the normal threshold for intervention. It also shortened the intervals for future inspections by PIGs from five years to two years to ensure the long-term integrity of the pipeline, while also fitting a fibre-optic system of acoustic, temperature and vibration sensors along critical sections of the pipeline to monitor performance.
Mark Cutifani, Chief Executive of Anglo American, said: “The protection of the natural environment surrounding local communities and the overall integrity of the pipeline have formed the focus of our work to restart Minas-Rio and meet our obligations to our host communities, employees, customers and other stakeholders.”
Cutifani said the majority of Minas-Rio employees have been deployed across its operations in Brazil during this year, including on the construction work required to secure its Step 3 operating licence for Minas-Rio. Safety and other refresher training has been under way since early November in preparation for the restart, he added.
Anglo American expects the operation to ramp up to 1.2 Mt/mth (wet) and to produce approximately 16-19 Mt (wet) of iron ore in 2019, with the expectation that the Step 3 licences are received as planned.
Anglo’s Brazil chief executive, Ruben Fernandes, told Reuters earlier this year that the company expects to hit the 26.5 Mt/y (wet) nameplate capacity some time in 2021.
Short Link:
https://www.miningnews.ir/En/News/317820
Oxford Economics Australia has released data showing mine maintenance spending may be hitting its peak. But what does it ...
Iron ore futures fell to their lowest in more than two weeks, pressured by an inventory accumulation at Chinese ports ...
Anglo American’s key South African shareholders are open to a takeover offer from BHP, with some advocating for an ...
Japan’s top steelmaker, Nippon Steel, is sticking to its plan to close a deal by year-end to buy US Steel, which it ...
Anglo American’s key South African shareholders are open to a takeover offer from BHP, with some advocating for an ...
A Brazilian federal court rejected a request made by the country’s solicitor general’s office asking that miners Vale, ...
Imports of iron ore by China, the world’s biggest buyer, in 2024 are expected to be around 1.17 to 1.18 billion metric ...
BHP’s plan to divest the South African assets of its target Anglo American are key to the strategy behind the proposed ...
Anglo American CEO Duncan Wanblad is meeting on Friday South African mines minister Gwede Mantashe for the first time ...
No comments have been posted yet ...