Caraíba Operations

The Caraíba Operations are located in northeastern Bahia State, Brazil, approximately 385 kilometers north-northwest of the capital city of Salvador. The operations comprise a fully integrated copper mining and processing complex that includes the Pilar and Vermelhos underground mines and the Surubim open pit mine. Ore is processed using conventional crushing and flotation at the Caraíba Mill, located adjacent to the Pilar underground mine. The mill has a throughput capacity of approximately 4.2 million tonnes per annum and produces a high-grade copper concentrate shipped to smelters worldwide.

At the Pilar Mine, we are constructing a new, larger shaft that will transform Pilar into a two-mine system, with the existing shaft servicing the upper levels and the new shaft servicing the high-grade Deepening Extension Zone. Once operational, the shaft will enable higher total mining rates, significantly reduce transport times for people and material between the deepest areas and surface, and unlock further operational efficiencies.

The Caraíba Operations are situated in the Curaçá Valley and extend over 100 kilometers in strike length, covering more than 185,000 hectares. Near-mine and regional exploration activities have added nearly 20 years of mine life since Ero’s acquisition in 2016 and continue to offer significant upside. In September 2022, we also announced the discovery of a regional nickel sulphide system within the Curaçá Valley over an initial strike length of five kilometers.