Vale have sold to Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (“Wheaton”) an aggregate of (i) 75% of the by-product gold contained in concentrate from our Salobo copper mine, in Brazil, for the life of mine, and (ii) 70% of the by-product gold from our Sudbury nickel mines, in Canada, for 20 years. Regarding these streaming transactions:

Vale received upfront payments of (i) US$1.9 billion in 2013, (ii) US$900 in 2015 and (iii) US$800 in 2016. Vale also receives ongoing payments of the lesser of 400 United States dollars per ounce and the prevailing market price, for each ounce of gold that the Company deliver under the agreement.

As per the Salobo gold by-product stream purchase agreement, Vale was entitled to receive an additional cash payment if the Company expanded its capacity to process Salobo copper ores to certain level before 2036. In March 2023, Vale agreed with Wheaton to amend this agreement to adjust the additional cash payment terms. These conditions are linked to the “Salobo III” project, which is the brownfield expansion of Salobo through the increase in copper processing capacity.

In November 2023, the first phase of the Salobo III expansion project was completed and Vale received US$370, which was recorded in the streaming liabilities. Additionally, Wheaton will be required to make annual payments between US$5.1 and US$8.5 from 2024 to 2034, as long as the Salobo complex continues to produce within certain copper grades.

In June 2018, Vale sold to Wheaton and Cobalt 27 Capital Corp. (“Cobalt 27”) a combined 75% of the cobalt produced as a by-product at its Voisey’s Bay mine from January 1, 2021, with the amount of US$690. Vale also receives additional payments of 20%, in average, of cobalt prices upon delivery. In February 2021, the stream originally sold to Cobalt 27 was assigned to Anglo Pacific Group.

Accounting policy

Streaming transactionsThe Company bifurcates both streaming transactions in two identifiable components: (i) the sale of the mineral rights and (ii) extraction services.

Sale of mineral rights - The amount allocated to this component is recognized as revenue in the income statement when the Company transfers ownership of the mineral rights to the counterparty. The cost related to the component sold is recognized in the income statement at the same moment.

Extraction services - The Company recognizes contract liabilities in the event it receives payments from customers before a sale meets criteria for revenue recognition. Proceeds received under the terms of the streaming transaction allocated to this component are accounted for as “streaming transactions” and included within liabilities.

Contract liability is initially recognized at fair value, net of transaction costs incurred, and is subsequently carried at amortized cost and updated using the effective interest rate method. Contract liability is released to the income statement based on the units of production, that is, revenue is calculated based on volume produced compared to the total proved and probable reserves of gold or cobalt, which are reviewed and remeasured annually.