Minas-Rio resumes operation

RNS Number : 1964L

Anglo American PLC

21 December 2018

 

21 December 2018

Anglo American resumes Minas-Rio iron ore operation

Anglo American plc ("Anglo American") announces the resumption of operations at its Minas-Rio iron ore operation in Brazil. The restart of the integrated iron ore operation follows an extensive and detailed technical inspection of the 529km pipeline that carries the iron ore in slurry form from the mine to the port, the pre-emptive repair of certain sections of the pipeline, and receipt of the appropriate regulatory approvals. The inspection of the entire pipeline by specialist pipeline inspection devices ("PIGs"), and the analysis of the collected data by expert teams drawn from Brazil and internationally, confirmed the pipeline's integrity.

Anglo American has taken a responsible approach and has pre-emptively replaced a 4km stretch of pipeline where the two leaks of non-hazardous material had occurred, as well as a small number of individual sections of pipe where the PIGs detected minor anomalies below the normal threshold for intervention. Furthermore, Anglo American has shortened the intervals for future inspections by PIGs from five years to two years to ensure the long-term integrity of the pipeline, while also fitting a fibre-optic system of acoustic, temperature and vibration sensors along critical sections of the pipeline to monitor its performance.

Mark Cutifani, Chief Executive of Anglo American, said: "The protection of the natural environment surrounding local communities and the overall integrity of the pipeline have formed the focus of our work to restart Minas-Rio and meet our obligations to our host communities, employees, customers and other stakeholders. We congratulate our team on the ground that so quickly restored the waterways to full health and put in place an improved additional water supply to the nearby community. We also thank our technical teams and the group of specialist institutions in Brazil and beyond for their diligence and spirit of partnership, and to our regulators for their constructive approach. The extensive analysis confirmed the sound condition of the pipeline and we have taken a number of preventative measures to provide additional reassurance for the long term.

"The majority of our employees have been deployed across our operations in Brazil during this year, including on the construction work required to secure our Step 3 operating licence for Minas-Rio, and safety and other refresher training has been under way since early November in preparation for the restart."

Anglo American expects the operation to ramp up to 1.2 million tonnes (wet basis) per month and to produce approximately 16-19 million tonnes (wet basis) of iron ore in 2019, with the expectation that the Step 3 licences are received as planned. Minas-Rio is expected to report an underlying EBITDA loss of $320 million for 2018, compared to guidance of a loss of $300-400 million.

For further information, please contact:

Media		Investors
UK James Wyatt-Tilby [e-mail] Tel: [phone] Marcelo Esquivel [e-mail] Tel: [phone] South Africa Pranill Ramchander [e-mail] Tel: [phone] Ann Farndell [e-mail] Tel: [phone]		UK Paul Galloway [e-mail] Tel: [phone] Robert Greenberg [e-mail] Tel: [phone] Sheena Jethwa [e-mail] Tel: [phone]

Notes to editors:

Anglo American is a global diversified mining business and our products are the essential ingredients in almost every aspect of modern life. Our portfolio of world-class competitive mining operations and undeveloped resources provides the metals and minerals to meet the growing consumer-driven demands of the world's developed and maturing economies. With our people at the heart of our business, we use innovative practices and the latest technologies to discover new resources and mine, process, move and market our products to our customers around the world.

As a responsible miner - of diamonds (through De Beers), copper, platinum and other precious metals, iron ore, coal and nickel - we are the custodians of what are precious natural resources. We work together with our key partners and stakeholders to unlock the sustainable value that those resources represent for our shareholders, the communities and countries in which we operate and for society at large. Anglo American is re-imagining mining to improve people's lives.

www.angloamerican.com

Legal Entity Identifier: 549300S9XF92D1X8ME43

Forward-looking statements

This announcement includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this announcement, including, without limitation, those regarding Anglo American's financial position, business, acquisition and divestment strategy, dividend policy, plans and objectives of management for future operations (including development plans and objectives relating to Anglo American's products, production forecasts and reserves and resources positions), are forward-looking statements. By their nature, such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Anglo American, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Such forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding Anglo American's present and future business strategies and the environment in which Anglo American will operate in the future. Important factors that could cause Anglo American's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among others, levels of actual production during any period, levels of global demand and commodity market prices, mineral resource exploration and development capabilities, recovery rates and other operational capabilities, the availability of mining and processing equipment, the ability to produce and transport products profitably, the availability of transportation infrastructure, the impact of foreign currency exchange rates on market prices and operating costs, the availability of sufficient credit, the effects of inflation, political uncertainty and economic conditions in relevant areas of the world, the actions of competitors, activities by governmental authorities such as permitting and changes in taxation or safety, health, environmental or other types of regulation in the countries where Anglo American operates, conflicts over land and resource ownership rights and such other risk factors identified in Anglo American's most recent Annual Report. Forward-looking statements should, therefore, be construed in light of such risk factors and undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. Anglo American expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking (except as required by applicable law, the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the "Takeover Code"), the UK Listing Rules, the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority, the Listings Requirements of the securities exchange of the JSE Limited in South Africa, the SIX Swiss Exchange, the Botswana Stock Exchange and the Namibian Stock Exchange and any other applicable regulations) to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Anglo American's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

 

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