Tungsten West secures $97 million UK government investment
2026-08-28 11:35:17 [Print]
Tungsten West has announced that the UK government plans to invest up to $97 million (￡71 million) to restart operations at the Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine in southwest England.
The funding, comprising both equity and debt, comes from the National Wealth Fund (NWF), the company disclosed on Tuesday. The investment is intended to bring the mine back to full production and establish a reliable domestic source of tungsten---a critical mineral vital to high-tech supply chains, aerospace, energy, and defence sectors.
According to a JORC-compliant resource estimate released in May 2025, Hemerdon contains 163.7 million measured and indicated tonnes grading 0.14% tungsten trioxide (WO3), representing 228,000 tonnes of WO3, plus 163.1 million inferred tonnes at 0.11% WO3, containing 170,000 tonnes of WO3.
The company reported that tungsten and tin concentrate have already been produced at the site over the past month, as final tests are being conducted ahead of a planned production start in 2026. Tungsten West added that it is currently in negotiations with a major downstream tungsten refiner. Management expressed confidence that full production could be achieved by the end of March 2027. The project is expected to create 350 jobs and secure access to a mineral critical to defence applications.
The mine, historically known as Drakelands, or the Hemerdon Ball Mine, has a mining history dating back to 1918, with production recorded during both World Wars, according to the company.
Additional exploration and feasibility work took place in the 1980s. The site was later developed into a modern operation and produced tungsten and tin between August 2015 and October 2018 under the ownership of Wolf Minerals. The mine is situated 11 kilometres northeast of Plymouth, near the village of Plympton.
The funding, comprising both equity and debt, comes from the National Wealth Fund (NWF), the company disclosed on Tuesday. The investment is intended to bring the mine back to full production and establish a reliable domestic source of tungsten---a critical mineral vital to high-tech supply chains, aerospace, energy, and defence sectors.
According to a JORC-compliant resource estimate released in May 2025, Hemerdon contains 163.7 million measured and indicated tonnes grading 0.14% tungsten trioxide (WO3), representing 228,000 tonnes of WO3, plus 163.1 million inferred tonnes at 0.11% WO3, containing 170,000 tonnes of WO3.
The company reported that tungsten and tin concentrate have already been produced at the site over the past month, as final tests are being conducted ahead of a planned production start in 2026. Tungsten West added that it is currently in negotiations with a major downstream tungsten refiner. Management expressed confidence that full production could be achieved by the end of March 2027. The project is expected to create 350 jobs and secure access to a mineral critical to defence applications.
The mine, historically known as Drakelands, or the Hemerdon Ball Mine, has a mining history dating back to 1918, with production recorded during both World Wars, according to the company.
Additional exploration and feasibility work took place in the 1980s. The site was later developed into a modern operation and produced tungsten and tin between August 2015 and October 2018 under the ownership of Wolf Minerals. The mine is situated 11 kilometres northeast of Plymouth, near the village of Plympton.
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