282 Figure 2 – Location of Itabira Mine Complex, highlighting the Conceição, Minas do Meio and Cauê mines. Until 2024, the feeding of dolomitic material into processing plants was restricted to the limit established in the operational specifications (0.2% MgO). Detailed studies of material behavior within the plant revealed that this threshold could be increased up to 1.2% MgO, maintaining operational performance and reducing the amount of waste generated. At the Cauê Plant, the specific restriction on dolomitic itabirite due to MgO content was altered, and the material has since been fed in diluted form alongside other ores. The ramp-up of plant performance required careful management due to the MgO levels and the compaction characteristics of dolomitic itabirite. Additional difficulties arose from the use of recirculated water, as well as from the initial geological modeling, in which dolomitic itabirite and dolomite lithologies were grouped together (Figure 3), limiting the precision of mine planning. This issue was corrected in 2025, enabling more assertive extraction strategies. Resistance among operational teams to the feeding of dolomitic itabirite also had to be addressed through technical validation and gradual integration. Despite these challenges, by 2025 run-of-mine (ROM) feeding surpassed 4 million tons, with an average grade of 40.35% Fe and 1.93% MgO.
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