After the tailings dam disaster that occurred in Brumadinho, Brazil, in 2019, which claimed the lives of more than 250 people, Vale reassessed its projects from a safety perspective and made significant changes to its production capacity during this period.

The company reported that in the fourth quarter of 2025, iron ore production increased by 6% year-on-year to 90.4 million tons, supported by strong performance at Brucutu and continued ramp-ups at the Capanema and VGR1 projects. During the same period, pellet production declined by 9% to 8.3 million tons.

In the fourth quarter, copper production rose by 6% to 108,100 tons, reflecting record output at Salobo and marking the company’s highest quarterly copper production since 2018. Over the same period, nickel production also increased by 2% to 46,200 tons.