S11D (Northern System) iron ore mine

The Serra Sul complex (often identified with its main operating pit, S11D) is a large-scale open-pit iron ore operation owned and operated by Vale in the Carajás region of Pará, Brazil. It lies roughly 60 kilometres southwest of the Serra Norte mines, Vale’s largest operating hub in the system. The Serra Sul orebody underpins one of the world’s largest known high-grade resources, with Vale’s latest estimates indicating more than 3.4 billion tonnes of in-situ reserves at an average grade of 65.4% Fe. In August 2020, Vale announced S11D’s mine and plant capacity expansions by 20 Mtpa, taking the company’s flagship project nominal output rate to 120 Mtpa. The project is expected to start up during the second half of 2026 under an investment of US$ 2.8 Billion. The development will include opening new mining areas, duplicating the long-distance conveyor belt, implementing new processing lines at the plant, and expanding storage areas.