Nasser bin Sulaiman Al Azri

Vale is dedicated to sustainable mining, green steel, and carbon neutrality in line with Oman Vision 2040.

How and why did Vale enter Oman, and how important is the local market to its global portfolio?

Our relationship with Oman dates back to 2007, and our journey has been nothing short of incredible. We landed in Sohar because of its strategic location, availability of natural resources, and political stability. Sohar is also the only port deep enough to receive ValeMaxes, our biggest iron ore carriers. Although we are a mining company, we do not actually mine in Oman; we like to say that we bring a virtual mine to the country. Vale is one of the biggest producers of iron ore in the world and contributes to almost all of the seaborne iron ore. In fact, Vale itself produces 320 million tons of iron ore a year. In Oman, we process around 20 million tons of that, and today, we are proud to say that our operations here are considered one of Vale’s key investments globally.

Vale’s goal is to establish a mega hub in Duqm, where it plans to produce the first green steel in Oman. Can you elaborate on the green briquette technology?

Our planned Mega Hub in Duqm is not technically green steel because that implies zero carbon emissions. We prefer to call it “the road to green steel.” We have been transparent in our journey in producing green steel and fulling our global net zero commitments. The steel industry is one of the heaviest emitting industries worldwide and steel makers must gradually move away from the traditional steel production that uses coal to a cleaner source like natural gas; however, even natural gas has emissions and as a result, the industry has turned to hydrogen as a viable solution. The road to green steel is one of the main reasons why we chose Duqm. While in Sohar, we solely have a pelletizing plant, the Mega Hub in Duqm is different, where steel makers will join us to make “briquettes,” a Vale invention under development since 2000. Pellets need to be heated at temperatures of above 1,000 degrees Celsius while our briquetting process (product, developed, and patented by Vale) only requires 250 degrees Celsius. This already reduces emissions by over 70%. In addition, Duqm’s focus on hydrogen and the country’s political stability all contribute in creating the right ecosystem we need to invest in building our multi-billion-dollar Mega Hub.

How difficult is it for a for a mining giant like Vale to balance the need to contribute to the energy transition, while remaining profitable in this industry?

We are committed to lead the transition of the mining industry to net zero. Our focus has shifted dramatically; while we used to pride ourselves on being the biggest producers of iron ore in the world, today, our driving force is being the most sustainable. As major players with significant resources, Vale and other producers have a massive obligation to lead by example and change has to start with us. Our briquetting technology for example is focused on both cost and sustainability as we firmly believe that sustainability can be profitable. In fact, the briquettes are a validation that companies can achieve lower costs while minimizing environmental impact.

How does Vale leverage digital technology to optimize operations?

Today, companies need fewer people working hands-on and more people working with data. That is how we see the industry evolving. On our site, there is minimal human interaction as we have digitalized most processes. Thanks to our OCS data analytics system, results are being seen not only in terms of smart decisions, but also the speed at which decisions are made. The time it takes us to identify and take action has shortened. In addition, we can predict emissions, where they come from, where to take action, wind speed, weather, seasonality, and much more. Now, it is a matter of scalability—how can we use the same data in the context of safety or environmental performance.