Vale completed, in December, the decharacterization works on Campo Grande Dam, located at Alegria Mine in Mariana (MG). This is the 19th project finished by Vale, bringing the company to 63% completion of its Decharacterization Program.

During the works, the upstream raise of the dam was removed, and the facility was reconfigured, reinforced, waterproofed, and had its drainage system upgraded. All documentation and technical evidence of the decharacterization will be submitted for final validation by the competent authorities, and the facility will remain under monitoring for at least two years, as required by current legislation.

                                             The Campo Grande dam, in Mariana, is the 19th to have its decharacterization work completed by Vale
                                                                                                             Credit: VideoDelivery

“The completion of the decharacterization works on the Campo Grande dam demonstrates how innovation and engineering can work together to accelerate safe and sustainable solutions. We have reached 63% progress in our Decharacterization Program, reinforcing our commitment to community safety and environmental preservation,” said Rafael Bittar, Vale’s chief technical officer.

Decharacterization Program
Campo Grande is the first upstream dam in the Mariana Complex to have its decharacterization works completed. Two others are still in progress: Doutor and Xingu.
Out of the 19 facilities eliminated under the Decharacterization Program, 16 are in Minas Gerais and 3 in Pará. The program aims to eliminate a total of 30 structures and has already received investments of R$ 12.7 billion.

In September this year, the company completed the works on the Grupo dam at Fábrica Mine in Ouro Preto. Another important milestone in 2025 was the reduction of the emergency level of the Forquilha III dam, also at the Fábrica Mine, from level 3 to level 2. As a result, Vale no longer has any facilities at the maximum emergency level.

Other significant advances in 2025 included the removal of emergency levels from the Doutor dam in Ouro Preto and the Dicão Leste dam in Catas Altas, as well as the reduction from level 2 to level 1 of Xingu dam in Mariana, which also began its decharacterization works this year.

All of Vale’s upstream dams in Brazil are inactive and permanently monitored by the Geotechnical Monitoring Center (CMG), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.