Vale said today coal and iron ore production were up in the third quarter due to operational improvements and better weather.
Vale’s iron ore fines production totaled 89.4 Mt in 3Q21, 18.1% higher than in 2Q21. The higher production was dampened by lower metal prices. The iron ore price premium was US$6.6 tonne, US$ 1.8 tonne lower than in 2Q21
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.
Vale said nickel production was hit by labor issues and a production outage.
"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 11kt on finished nickel production in the quarter. In addition, Onça Puma went through extended maintenance during 3Q21, with production resuming late September," wrote the company in a news release.
