Brazil mining mammoth Vale SA said that it has restarted the last two of its iron ore pellet plants shutdown at the height of the global economic crisis. Vale said the gradual restarting of its pellet plants was due to the recovery of the steel market.

The final two plants are at Sao Luis in Maranhao State north eastern Brazil and at Fabrica near Vale's Congonha's iron ore mine in Minas Gerais State at southeast Brazil.

Respectively the plants have capacity of 7 million tonnes and 4.5 million tonnes a year representing a quarter of Vale's total output last year of 45 million tonnes.

Vale also has a stake in pellet company Samarco Mineracao which produces 22 million tonnes a year.

(Sourced from Dow Jones Newswires)