At Vale Day in London today, the company said it is building its future by expanding the S11D truckless iron ore mining operation to 100 Mt/y, starting in 2022 with capex of about $770 million. Estimated production volumes for 2018 stand at about 55 Mt, increasing to 70-80 Mt in 2019 then to 90 Mt in 2020. Investments at the largest global IPCC operation so far already total $14.3 billion.

The mine uses four Sandvik Mining Systems PF200 fully mobile crushing stations, each loaded by a Caterpillar 7495 rope shovel. The PF200 conveyor loads a mobile Sandvik beltwagon with 11,500 t/h capacity which in turn loads a main pit conveyor. The Sandvik systems are now managed by FLSmidth following its takeover of the Sandvik Mining Systems business which was completed in March 2018. S11D (including mine, plant and associated logistics – CLN S11D) achieved a combined physical progress of 98% in Q3 2018 with the mine site concluded and 96% progress at the logistic infrastructure sites.