Anglo American secures key licence for Minas-Rio iron ore project

Anglo American announces that it has secured a key licence for the development of its Minas-Rio iron ore project in Brazil. The award of the second part of the Mine Installation Licence (“Mine LI part 2”) was granted by SUPRAM, the Minas Gerais state agency responsible for environmental licensing, on 9 December 2010 and marks a major achievement on the critical path for delivery of the Minas-Rio project.

The award of the Mine LI part 2 enables Anglo American to begin the civil construction works for the beneficiation plant and the tailings dam and begin the construction of the mine. It is expected that the civil works will start in March 2011, after the rainy season and, as previously stated, it should take between 27 and 30 months from that time to construct and commission the mine and plant, complete the project and deliver the first ore on ship.

As the development of the project progresses, there will be a number of other licences and permits to be obtained, but the Mine LI part 2 allows Anglo American to make further substantial progress towards the delivery of this world class iron ore project which includes a mine, a beneficiation plant, a 525km slurry pipeline and a port facility.

Notes to editors:
Anglo American plc is one of the world’s largest mining companies, is headquartered in the UK and listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges. Anglo American’s portfolio of mining businesses spans precious metals and minerals – in which it is a global leader in both platinum and diamonds; base metals – copper and nickel; and bulk commodities – iron ore, metallurgical coal and thermal coal. Anglo American is committed to the highest standards of safety and responsibility across all its businesses and geographies and to making a sustainable difference in the development of the communities around its operations. The company’s mining operations and extensive pipeline of growth projects are located in southern Africa, South America, Australia, North America and Asia. www.angloamerican.com