en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 12, Vale Base Metals announced that it will advance the coarse particle flotation project at the Salobo copper mine in Brazil. The project is expected to require an investment of $225 million to $275 million, and once fully operational, it is expected to add approximately 30,000 tonnes of copper production per year on average, with an after-tax internal rate of return projected to exceed 50%.
The Salobo copper mine, located in the Carajás mining district in Pará State, Brazil, is Vale's largest copper production site. This investment does not involve building a new copper mine, but rather leverages the existing Salobo I, II, and III processing lines by introducing coarse particle flotation technology to eliminate bottlenecks in the beneficiation process, thereby increasing ore processing capacity and copper recovery efficiency.
The project will upgrade the existing crushing, grinding, classification, flotation, regrinding, and associated utility systems. Key modifications include replacing hydrocyclone clusters, adjusting the slurry classification process, installing coarse particle flotation equipment, configuring vertical regrinding systems, and concurrently upgrading electrical rooms, steel structures, and process piping.
The current primary grinding particle size in the Salobo beneficiation process is approximately 106 microns. Once the coarse particle flotation system is commissioned, a portion of the ore can proceed to downstream processing at a coarser size of approximately 250 microns, enabling the plant to increase throughput without adding large ball mills while reducing energy and water consumption caused by over-grinding of the ore.
The combined nominal processing capacity of the Salobo I, II, and III beneficiation lines is approximately 36 million tonnes per year. According to the project schedule, ore processing capacity is expected to increase to approximately 39 million tonnes in 2028, and after full ramp-up in 2029, reach approximately 42 million tonnes, representing an increase of about 6 million tonnes over current capacity.
The additional processing capacity will accelerate the release of copper production from Salobo ahead of the original mine plan. The project is expected to add approximately 30,000 tonnes of copper production per year on average over the operating period, while reducing the capital expenditure required for expansion by utilizing existing mining, beneficiation, railway, and port infrastructure.
The Salobo copper mine commenced operations in 2012 and primarily produces copper concentrate with a copper grade of approximately 36% to 40%. The mine holds approximately 1.15 billion tonnes of copper ore reserves, and the existing resource base can support at least 30 years of production. Copper concentrate is transported by road to Parauapebas, then shipped via the Carajás Railway to the Ponta da Madeira port in Maranhão State, from where it is delivered to international markets.
Vale's copper production reached 382,400 tonnes in 2025, the highest level since 2018, with the Salobo mining complex being one of the main sources of its copper production growth. Vale Base Metals plans to increase annual copper production to approximately 700,000 tonnes by 2035, and the Salobo coarse particle flotation project will be a key component of its near-term copper capacity expansion.
Once the project officially enters the implementation phase, equipment demand will be concentrated in coarse particle flotation units, hydrocyclones, vertical mills, slurry pumps, process piping, electrical controls, smart sensors, automation systems, and tailings treatment facilities, and will also drive demand for engineering design, equipment integration, installation and commissioning, and production maintenance services.
