Name of the Project
Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine restart project.

Location
Devon, England, in the UK.

Project Owner/s
Tungsten West.

Project Description
Hemerdon has ore reserves of 101.2-million tonnes at 0.14% tungsten and 0.03% tin, and mineral resources of 351.5-million tonnes at 0.12% tungsten and 0.03% tin.

Tungsten West released an updated feasibility study in March 2023 that forms part of a revised plan for Hemerdon, after it was forced to pause development in 2022 amid energy price inflation fluctuations.

The study includes a revised ore delivery and waste mining strategy, a split phase approach to operational ramp-up to the full design specification, a new primary and secondary crushing method and location, a re-optimisation of the operating strategy for the XRT ore sorters, redesign and re-engineering of the feed preparation, ore sorter buildings and structures, and a re-evaluation of the operation of unit processes and expected recoveries.

Tungsten West forecasts that the first two years of production will involve a ramp-up in throughput to allow for ongoing process improvements in the initial phase of production. This results in forecast throughput production of two-million tons a year in Year 1, 2.7-million tons a year in Year 2 and 3.5-million tons a year in Year 3.

The mine will produce an average of 2 900 t/y of tungsten in concentrate and 310 000 t/y of tin in concentrate.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an after-tax net present value, at a 5% discount rate, of £297-million (base case), with an internal rate of return of 25%.

Capital Expenditure
The total preproduction expenditure is estimated at £54.9-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Tungsten West aims to bring Hemerdon back into production in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Latest Developments
None stated.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
BlytheRay, on behalf of Tungsten West, email tungstenwest@blytheray.com.