Brazil’s Vale says its high-tech Conceicao 2 “Model Plant” at Itabira in Minas Gerais creates a template for the application of technologies and skills that can be transferred to other group operations.
The mining and metals major said its first high-tech iron ore plant, a circa-11 million tonnes per annum facility, had been modernised to enable integration of automation and artificial intelligence that could “redefine standards of efficiency, sustainability, and competitiveness in mining”.
“This initiative positions Vale at the forefront of the most modern and innovative iron ore processing plants in the world,” Vale vice president of operations, Carlos Medeiros, said.
“The Model Plant program integrates technologies and robust process governance, creating a safer, more predictable and more efficient environment, with highly skilled people.”
Vale said Model Plant was a 1.5-year build that involved automating about 7300 process instruments, installing more than 100 monitoring cameras and adding data intelligence-based controls to over 400 ore processing workflow variables. Its project strategic alliance partner is Swiss automation and electrification technology major ABB.
“The system includes an artificial intelligence layer that supervises hundreds of variables and performs real-time adjustments to the production process according to the characteristics of the ore and the product,” Medeiros said.
He said the changes lifted plant productivity by 25%. A 9Mtpa plant in 2024 could now process 11.2Mtpa. Meanwhile its product mix improved to include 40% more premium direct reduction iron pellet feed.
Online ore grade analysis technology enabled instant correction of processes which Vale says has made better use of iron contained in ore while reducing waste generation. It says the average iron content in waste has been reduced by 26% in 2026.
Water reuse rates are also said to have improved with 92% of water used in Conceicao 2 recirculated.
“The plant has reached a new level of digital maturity, with 100% of critical operational decisions supported by expert systems,” Vale technical vice president Rafael Bittar said. “This advancement combines innovation, technology and technical expertise to increase efficiency, reduce impacts and enhance predictability, with a focus on people.”
More than 120 operators, instrument technicians and managers at Conceicao 2 plant received over 2800 hours of training to operate under the new model.
Vale says its professionals are better prepared to work in integrated environments, analyse data and support real-time decision-making under the Model Plant program.
