Vale to book extra $500M provision for Fundao dam obligations

Reuters | November 14, 2025 | 7:15 am Top Companies Latin America Iron Ore

BHP and Vale’s Samarco hit with $900 million suit

The collapse of the Fundao tailings dam in 2015 killed 19 people and polluted hundreds of miles of rivers. (Image: Agência Brasil Fotografias.)

Brazilian miner Vale said on Friday that it estimates an additional provision of about $500 million in its 2025 financial statements to cover obligations linked to the Fundao dam disaster.

The announcement followed an English High Court decision that considered BHP liable under Brazilian law for the failure of the Fundao dam in Mariana, southeastern Brazil, which was owned and operated by BHP and Vale’s Samarco joint venture.

The company said in a securities filing that it expected cash outflows tied to the agreement to remain in line with the guidance disclosed in its third-quarter earnings release. It had already recognized a provision of $2.401 billion for obligations under the agreement in Brazil, it added.

(By Isabel Teles)