Almonty clears final hurdle to begin tungsten production at South Korean mine
2026-09-22 11:15:09 [Print]
Almonty Industries has received approval from the South Korean government to commercially process tungsten concentrate at the Sangdong tungsten mine, which is expected to produce approximately 200,000 metric tonne units (MTU) per year.
South Korean authorities issued mining facility inspection certificates on Sept. 17, authorizing Almonty to operate Sangdong's crushing and processing facilities and to sell tungsten concentrate both domestically and overseas. The approval was the final regulatory step Almonty needed to clear before starting commercial production of the concentrate.
The Sangdong mine was historically one of the world's largest tungsten producers before operations were suspended in the early 1990s following a prolonged downturn in commodity prices. Since acquiring the project in 2015, Almonty has invested more than $100 million to redevelop the site as a modern underground mining operation with a newly constructed processing plant.
Almonty said it had been producing tungsten ore through the plant since mid-2026. The company will now turn that material into concentrate for export to South Korean and international markets that are facing China's strict export controls.
South Korean authorities issued mining facility inspection certificates on Sept. 17, authorizing Almonty to operate Sangdong's crushing and processing facilities and to sell tungsten concentrate both domestically and overseas. The approval was the final regulatory step Almonty needed to clear before starting commercial production of the concentrate.
The Sangdong mine was historically one of the world's largest tungsten producers before operations were suspended in the early 1990s following a prolonged downturn in commodity prices. Since acquiring the project in 2015, Almonty has invested more than $100 million to redevelop the site as a modern underground mining operation with a newly constructed processing plant.
Almonty said it had been producing tungsten ore through the plant since mid-2026. The company will now turn that material into concentrate for export to South Korean and international markets that are facing China's strict export controls.
Tungsten Bar W-4 99.9%min EXW China
Unit:RMB/kg
China APT Producers' sales volume statistics by province by month
Unit: mt
