Brazilian mining firm Vale has presented a plan to Brazilian authorities that would see the company decommission all tailings dams built to the same method as the dam that failed on Friday in the city of Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, leading to extensive loss of life.
The company said all dams built according to the upstream method could be decommissioned over the next three years in a project that would cost around $1.3 billion. To fund the work, Vale is expected to halt production at 10 mines, reducing group output by approximately 40 million tonnes a year.
Yesterday it was announced that three Vale employers were arrested alongside two contractors working for the firm following the fatal breach of Dam I of the Córrego do Feijão mine, which could cost more than 300 lives.
Vale's Legal team began the first phase of the internal investigation to determine the causes of the accident on Monday, with preliminary results shared with federal and state authorities yesterday.
