Tungsten West (LSE:TUN) has begun production at its Hemerdon mine in Devon, UK, marking the restart of what the company describes as a ‘globally significant’ tungsten deposit.
The tungsten developer says ore is now being processed through the Hemerdon plant, with operations progressing through a ramp-up towards steady-state production.
Hemerdon is the site of a historic tungsten mine with a history dating back to World War I, though the orebody was discovered long ago in 1867.
According to Tungsten West, the project hosts one of the world’s largest deposits of tungsten, a critical mineral used across aerospace, clean energy, semiconductors, automotive, defence, and other industrial applications.
“Hemerdon entering production is a landmark moment for Tungsten West and represents the culmination of an enormous effort by our team and partners to bring this strategically important mine back into operation,” CEO Jeffery Court says.
UK backs domestic tungsten supply
The restart follows financial backing from the UK Government through the National Wealth Fund (NWF), which recently committed £71 million ($134.2 million) to support the project.
NWF CEO Oliver Holbourn visited Hemerdon this week to mark the restart, saying the investment is designed to “unlock this strategic asset for the UK” and help secure a domestic supply of tungsten.
Tungsten West acquired Hemerdon in December 2019 and has since redesigned the processing plant and updated its Feasibility Study aimed at returning the operation to production.
According to the report, Hemerdon can support 17 years of primary ore feed based on 39.7 million tonnes of JORC-compliant resources.
Tungsten West began producing tungsten concentrates in July as part of preparations for the mine restart.
The company says it is also in advanced offtake negotiations with a major downstream tungsten refiner as production ramps up.
Write to Jackson Chen at Mining.com.au
Image: Tungsten West
