Vale, through a significant grant award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI), will build a commercial-scale industrial demonstration facility to produce Vale’s patented iron ore briquettes. Its location, along the Mississippi River in the River Parishes region of Louisiana, is favorable for access to current and potential end-users in the United States market. Building from this initial demonstration facility by advancing the iron ore briquetting technology to a commercial scale, Vale intends to promote additional iron ore briquetting projects in the country. These actions will ensure secure, U.S. based production of iron ore to meet the growing demand and strengthening the domestic supply chain to support the U.S. steel industry. 

Compared to the traditional iron ore pellet production, the innovative technology of cold-agglomerated iron ore briquettes increases energy efficiency, reduces per-unit electricity burden, and reduces emissions, all without the use of hazardous materials and with minimal water use.  While Vale is one of the largest mining and minerals processing companies in the world, these activities in the U.S. do not involve mining; the briquettes will be produced by combining imported iron ore with domestically-sourced raw materials and co-products.