THE first metal mine to open in the UK for nearly half a century is 'open for business' and ready to ramp up production.
The £130 million Drakelands tungsten mine at Hemerdon on the edge of Dartmoor was officially set into motion by British and Australian representatives as well as officials from Wolf Minerals, the company behind the project.
Wolf chairman John Hopkins who flew into the UK from Australia for the occasion, said the Devon mine was of international significance and will produce 20 per cent of the Western World's tungsten needs.
He said: "If you look out of the window you can all be proud of what you see. This is a wonderful development."
Russell Clark, managing director of Wolf Minerals, added: "This makes this mine not only important but strategic. Demand for tungsten is not going to drop and there is no substitute for it.
"This makes Drakelands a very special place indeed."
The mine has been several decades in the making as the price for commodities such as tungsten and tin dropped in the 80s and investors turned their back on the project.
But with demand for tungsten at an all-time high, re-opening Hemerdon has once again become commercially viable.
Wolf Minerals is hoping to produce one lorry load of tungsten concentrate a day. Tungsten sells for $38,000 a tonne compared with $120 for a tonne of coal. Wolf Minerals expects tin to represents 10% of its revenues.
The mine employs about 200 highly skilled staff, including 15% of women, and many workers are from the Westcountry and, after a lifetime working on mines in Africa, South America or Australia, have come home.
Plymouth born and bred Charlie Northfield, the processing plant manager, trained at the Camborne School of Mines before working in Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil and Vietnam amongst others.
The 58-year-old, whose family still lives in Plymouth, said: "Working on this mine is an opportunity of a lifetime to come back to Devon. I'm proud to see the development of a mine on such scale close to my home town."
Officially opening the mine, which will be producing 5,000 tonnes of tungsten concentrate out of three million tonnes of ore a year, Lord-lieutenant of Devon David Fursdon along with Australia High Commissioner to the UK Alexander Downer, said the Anglo-Australian operation will greatly contribute not only to the South West's economy but to Britain's economy too.
Mr Fursdon said: "This is international in scope but firmly rooted in the locality. It has brought people back from overseas to work in Devon.
"Wolf Minerals has offered contracts to local companies, has engaged with the local communities and has shown the highest standards of environmental responsibility. This is a huge investment for the region and for Britain."
Cllr John Hart, leader of Devon County Council who was among 200 guests attending the official opening, and whose ward the mine is on, said: "The moonscape that's appearing out here shows the commitment of the company. The investment happening here is phenomenal."
Cllr Tudor Evans, leader of Plymouth City Council, who also attended, added: "The economic impact of this project will be felt in Devon and in Plymouth. It is fantastic for the local economy and for Britain's economy. This mine is of truly international significance."TUNGSTEN
TUNGSTEN, also known as wolfram, is a chemical element.
The word tungsten comes from the Swedish language tung sten, meaning heavy stone.
It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as a metal in 1783.
It has the highest melting point of all the elements.
Tungsten's many alloys have numerous applications, most notably in incandescent light bulb filaments, X-ray tubes, electrodes in TIG welding, superalloys, and radiation shielding.
Tungsten's hardness and high density give it military applications in penetrating projectiles.HEMERDON
THE Hemerdon tungsten-tin deposit was discovered in 1867 and in 1916, due to war-associated tungsten shortages, an exploration program was initiated.
In 1917, Hemerdon Mines Ltd decided to construct a 140,000-tonne per year mill. The mine was operated in 1918 and 1919. When the British government stopped accepting tungsten ores under the war pricing scheme the mine was forced to suspend mining operations.
In 1939 further shortages of tungsten due to WW2 led to Hemerdon Wolfram Ltd constructing a 90,000-tonne per year mill which began operation in 1941.
Operations ceased in June 1944 due to access to overseas supplies being restored.
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