Mining Intelligence and News
Brazil

Mineração Usiminas (MUSA) Operation

Click for more information

Categories

Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Iron Ore
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotMineração Usiminas (MUSA) is encompassed three mines: Mina Oeste (West Mine) and Mina Central (Central Mine) in Itatiaiuçu/MG, and Mina Leste (East Mine) in Mateus Leme/MG. Main purpose is the extraction and processing of iron ore in the form of pellet feed, sinter feed and granules.

Mineração Usiminas implemented the dry stacking filtration project, which began operating in 2021, allowing it to discontinue the use of dams in its processes, and finally in 2023 it implemented a sludge centrifugation system called Decanter.

Compact Itabirites Project: Estimated life of mine for Compact Itabirites Project is 37 years. To process the compact itabirites, Mineração Usiminas would need to implement a new project that requires new equipment and facilities and significant capital expenditure. This project is in the analysis phase and has not yet been approved.
Related Asset

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Sumitomo Corp. 30 % Indirect
Usinas Siderurgicas De Minas Gerais S.A. 70 % Indirect
Mineração Usiminas (MUSA) is a joint venture between Usinas Siderurgicas De Minas Gerais S.A. (Usiminas), which holds 70% of the company and Japanese group Sumitomo Corporation, holding the remaining 30%.

Contractors

Lock

- subscription is required.

Deposit type

  • Iron formation hosted

Summary:

The Mineração Usiminas mineral claims are located along the western segment of Curral ridge, locally referred to as the Serra Azul (literally Blue Ridge). The Serra Azul, extending for ca 30 km in the NE-SW, is underlain by a continuous outcrop belt of the Cauê Formation, which hosts several iron ore deposits (Simmons, 1968; Romano, 1989; Romano et al, 1991; Alkmim, 2009), including the Western, Central and Eastern mines, as well as the Camargos and Pau de Vinho deposits of the Mineração Usiminas. As part of the Curral ridge, the Serra Azul is the morphologic expression of an overturned, SE-dipping homocline that involves Rio das Velhas and Minas strata (Dorr, 1969). Along the Serra Azul, the basal units of the Minas supergroup are very thin and Gandarela Dolomite is absent for over almost its whole length (Simmons, 1968; Alkmim, 2009).

The Serra Azul overturned homocline can be subdivided into three structural domains (Alkmim 2009). Along the structural domain I, which encompasses the Western Mine and the major part of the Central Mine, the thickness of the overturned Cauê Iron Formation increases from west to east, varying from around 50 m, at the western end of the ridge, to 250 m at the Central Mine. The dips also increase from west to east, being 20o at Ponta da Serra and reaching 45o at Central Mine. Standard itabirites and their weathering products are the more abundant ore types in this domain. The amount of fresh magnetitic itabirite is negligible. However, its weathering product, a magnetiterich, ochreous itabirite occurs as a continuous layer on top (stratigraphic base) of the iron formation, especially in the Western Mine. A small lens of hard haematite was identified near to the base (stratigraphic top) of the Cauê Formation in the Western Mine.

The ca 15 km long domain II encompasses the central portion of Serra Azul, including the Camargos deposit. Minas Supergroup strata strike ENE-WSW and dip 40o to 80o to SSE. NW-verging folds and faults give rise to local structural complexities. Magnetitic itabirites occur in form of layers or lenses intercalated with siliceous itabirite, which in turn grades laterally into dolomites. A clay-rich, deeply weathered itabirite (called by the miners AIF, for ‘argillaceous iron formation’) is quite frequent close to the contact with the Cercadinho Formation, the basal unit of the Piracicaba Group.

Along the structural domain III, which hosts the Pau de Vinho deposit, layers of the Minas Supergroup describe a large curve with the concave side facing north. On the easternmost sector of the curve, the strata dip NW, a change probably caused by the uplift of the adjacent the Bação Dome. NW-trending sinistral to reverse-sinistral shear zones cut the homocline along its whole length. One of the largest sinistral faults runs along the border of a large dyke (~300 m wide) of gabbro that divided the domain (as well as the Pau de Vinho deposit) in two sectors. To the southwest of the dyke, layers of NW-striking fresh itabirites predominate along the ca 500 m thick Cauê Formation. To southeast of the dyke, the Cauê Formation consists of a sequence of magnetitic itabirite, dolomite, friable ore and argillaceous iron formation (AIF).

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Production

CommodityUnits202320222021202020192018201720162015
Iron Ore Mt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe7.45.642.83.9
All production numbers are expressed as lump & fines.

Operational metrics

Metrics20232022202120202019
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe12 Mt of iron ore lump & fines
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Production Costs

CommodityUnits202320222021
Total cash costs Iron Ore USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Financials

Units202320222021202020192018
Capital expenditures M BRL  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 131   76  
Revenue M BRL  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,989   1,085  
Operating Income M BRL  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -0.2   -7.5  
Gross profit M BRL  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 846.5   337.8  
Pre-tax Income M BRL  ....  Subscribe 658.9   353.8  
After-tax Income M BRL  ....  Subscribe 487.9   272.9  
EBITDA M BRL  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 740   203  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Lock

- subscription is required.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 28, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 28, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 28, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 28, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 28, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 28, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 28, 2024

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2020

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.