Brazilian mining company Vale has concluded negotiations with the US Government’s Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations and will commence Phase 1 of the project to develop an industrial-scale briquette plant in the state of Louisiana.
In this phase, more than $3.8 million of awarded funds will be applied to conduct engineering studies and community engagement throughout 2025.
This project envisages industrial-scale production of Vale’s innovative iron ore briquette, customized for the direct reduced iron (DRI) route. The plant’s intended capacity is 1.5Mt/yr, with potential to expand.
''DOE’s selection of Vale for this co-operative agreement is an honour, and a great challenge to embark on together with industry partners and local community and workforce stakeholders.”
Gustavo Pimenta, CEO, Vale
Gustavo Pimenta, Vale’s CEO, commented on the agreement; “We believe it represents a critical path for the validation of our customer-centric, innovation-led strategy to scale transformative solutions that enable our clients to create a more efficient and sustainable steel sector. This is especially true for the US market, already a leader in EAF steel production and where we see increased demand for low-emissions ore-based metallics. DOE’s selection of Vale for this Cooperative Agreement is an honour, and a great challenge to embark on together with industry partners and local community and workforce stakeholders.”