Vale S A : 05/25/2020 Vale enters into exclusivity to negotiate the sale of Vale New Caledonia

Rio de Janeiro, May 25th, 2020 - Vale S.A. (Vale) informs that its subsidiary Vale Canada Limited ('VCL') has entered into exclusivity with the Australian company New Century Resources Limited ('NCZ') to negotiate the sale of its ownership interest in Vale Nouvelle-Calédonie S.A.S. ('VNC').

The negotiations include a financial package aiming to support the transition and continuity of VNC operations from VCL to NCZ, while the parties also plan to jointly engage with the French State to secure continued financing support.

This communication follows NCZ's requirement of disclosure under ASX regulation. Any transaction for the acquisition of VNC would be subject to the prior consultation of the VNC works council and customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

With this announcement the investment held at VNC will be recorded at the fair value and classified as an 'asset held for sale' in Vale's consolidated financial statements, leading to an additional impairment loss of approximately US$ 400 million to be recognized in the second quarter income statement.

Vale reaffirms its commitment with its shareholders to transform the Base Metals business, simplifying operations flowsheet going forward and enabling the continuous focus on core assets, while also honoring its new pact with society, contributing to the maintenance of a sustainable environment for safe operations continuity.

Ever since the Covid-19 outbreak began, our highest priority is the health and safety of our employees. Our IR team adopted work-from-home, and as we continue to face these new circumstances, we strongly recommend you prioritize e-mail and online engagement. For further information, please contact: [e-mail] Ivan Fadel: [e-mail] Andre Werner: [e-mail] Mariana Rocha: [e-mail] Samir Bassil: [e-mail] This press release may include statements that present Vale's expectations about future events or results. All statements, when based upon expectations about the future, involve various risks and uncertainties. Vale cannot guarantee that such statements will prove correct. These risks and uncertainties include factors related to the following: (a) the countries where we operate, especially Brazil and Canada; (b) the global economy; (c) the capital markets; (d) the mining and metals prices and their dependence on global industrial production, which is cyclical by nature; and (e) global competition in the markets in which Vale operates. To obtain further information on factors that may lead to results different from those forecast by Vale, please consult the reports Vale files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Brazilian Comissão de Valores Mobiliários (CVM) and in particular the factors discussed under 'Forward-Looking Statements' and 'Risk Factors' in Vale's annual report on Form 20-F.

​​