Known since antiquity and today considered one of the most important industrial minerals, copper is the third most used metal in the world.
"Our vision is to transform Brazil into a major copper exporter."
Copper is a reddish mineral which is malleable and a good conductor of electricity. It is present in electrical power cables (the destination for approximately 45% of annual copper consumption) and domestic appliances and devices such as televisions, computers and cell phones.
A large share of our reserves is located in the mineral province of Carajás (Pará state), formed of sulfide ore (composed of copper, iron and sulfur) and copper oxide. We also have projects in the Coquimbo region in Chile and the African copper belt in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Projects and other growth opportunities will enable Vale to achieve an annual copper production capacity of one million metric tons by 2016, with Brazil becoming a major exporter of the product.