24/7 Space News
WATER WORLD
BHP, Vale agree to pay $30bn compensation for Brazil dam disaster
BHP, Vale agree to pay $30bn compensation for Brazil dam disaster
by AFP Staff Writers
Brasilia (AFP) Oct 25, 2024

Mining giants BHP and Vale on Friday signed a deal with Brazil's government to pay nearly $30 billion in compensation for a 2015 dam collapse that triggered the country's worst environmental disaster.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attended the signing of the deal over the collapse of a tailings dam at a mine in the southeastern town of Mariana, which triggered a giant mudslide that swamped villages, rivers and rainforest, killing 19 people.

"I hope the mining companies have learned their lesson: it would have cost them less to prevent (the disaster), much less," Lula said after a ceremony attended by representatives of Brazil's Vale and Australia's BHP, co-owners of the Brazilian company Samarco that operated the Fundao dam.

The agreement comes on the fifth day of a mega-trial in London over whether BHP was liable for the spillage of over 40 million cubic meters of highly toxic mining sludge, the equivalent of 12,000 Olympic swimming pools, on November 5, 2015.

More than 620,000 complainants, including 46 Brazilian municipalities, are seeking an estimated GBP 36 billion ($47 million) in damages in the civil trial.

BHP denies responsibility.

BHP and Vale had already agreed in 2016 to pay 20 billion reais (about $3.5 billion at today's rate) in compensation, but the negotiations were re-opened in 2021 due to what the government called their "non-compliance" and the slow progress of Brazil's justice system in resolving the dispute.

Friday's agreement in Brazil covers their past and future obligations to assist people, communities and ecosystems affected by the disaster.

The companies agreed to pay 100 billion reais (17.5 billion dollars) to local authorities over twenty years and 32 billion reais ($5.6 billion) towards compensating and resettling the victims and repairing the harm caused to the environment.

The remaining 38 billion reais ($6.6 billion) is the amount that the companies say they have already paid in compensation.

Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WATER WORLD
London trial probes 2015 Brazil mine disaster
London (AFP) Oct 21, 2024
A trial to determine whether Australian mining giant BHP is liable for one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters opened Monday in London, potentially triggering billions of dollars in compensation to be shared among hundreds of thousands of people. The High Court in the British capital will examine over several months whether BHP is partly liable for the 2015 collapse of a dam at a mining waste site in Brazil. The rupture killed 19 people and unleashed a deluge of thick toxic mud into villag ... read more

WATER WORLD
Chinese company to sell tickets for space tourism flights in 2027

Human adaptation to spaceflight explored in latest NASA Nutrition Book

NASA's quiet space fan technology could enhance future commercial space stations

SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts undock from ISS, begin journey home to Earth

WATER WORLD
Kremlin denies report of Musk-Putin secret talks

Chinese private rocket company completes static fire test of ZQ-2E rocket

X-Bow Systems demonstrates calability of solid rocket motor production with Bolt Rocket

Phase Four unveils monopropellant multi-mode propulsion systems

WATER WORLD
NASA selects crew for 45-day simulated Mars mission in Houston

Potential microbial habitats in Martian ice

Perseverance just keeps roving across Mars

New Team Evaluates Plans for NASA's Mars Sample Return Program

WATER WORLD
China to launch 14th manned mission to Tiangong Space Station

China sets ambitious space science development goals through 2050

China successfully retrieves first reusable test satellite Shijian-19

China unveils new lunar spacesuit design ahead of moon mission

WATER WORLD
Eutelsat America and OneWeb to provide Enhanced Satellite Services for US Govt

SpaceX launches OneWeb 20 mission

Intelsat expands satellite backhaul services in Nigeria and West Africa

China deploys 18 new satellites for Spacesail network

WATER WORLD
Seeking our future in the deep past

Laser measurements aid in tracking space debris and mapping Earth's water resources

To tackle plastic scourge, Philippines makes companies pay

Advances in 3D-printed concrete boost strength, durability, and eco-friendly potential

WATER WORLD
Microbes thrive on iron in oxygen-free environments

SwRI and JPL study reveals liquid brine flows on airless worlds

It's twins mystery of famed brown dwarf solved

Astronomers Use New Technique to Search for Alien Signals Between Planets

WATER WORLD
NASA and SpaceX Set for Europa Clipper Launch on October 14

NASA probe Europa Clipper lifts off for Jupiter's icy moon

Is life possible on a Jupiter moon? NASA goes to investigate

NASA launches probe to study if life possible on icy Jupiter moon

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.