Tungsten West to relaunch Hemerdon mine by early 2027

Tungsten West to relaunch Hemerdon mine by early 2027

Tue, September 15, 2026 at 5:22 PM GMT+3 2 min read

• TUN.L +0.20%

Tungsten West has announced plans to restart operations at the Hemerdon mine in Devon, England, with full-scale production targeted for the first quarter of 2027 (Q1 2027).

The company is installing six TOMRA Mining XRT ore sorters equipped with OBTAIN Deep Learning technology as part of a redesigned processing plant at the mine, following a shutdown in 2018. The mine was acquired in 2019.

The Hemerdon project is set to provide a substantial source of tungsten for European markets outside China.

This comes as China, responsible for around 80% of global tungsten concentrate production, faces export restrictions and reduced domestic output.

Tungsten is listed as a critical mineral by the UK Government and Hemerdon's reserves could contribute around 4.1% of global production.

TOMRA Mining's sensor-based sorting technology forms a key part of the new front-end processing facility.

The installation includes primary crushing and screening systems, and a new sorting house, with the six sorters split between COM Tertiary XRT and COM XRT 2.0 units to handle material fractions ranging from 10mm to 80mm.

Approximately 30% of the processed material, containing mineralised tungsten, will be sent for further concentration and tin recovery, while the remaining 70% will be made available as a by-product aggregate for the construction industry.

Installation of the TOMRA sorters is scheduled for completion in Q4 2026.

The restart comes as demand for tungsten is forecast to rise, with industry seeking alternatives to Chinese supply to support sectors including energy, electronics and defence.

Tungsten West CEO Jeffrey Court said: "The TOMRA sorters play a key role in our operating model. By reducing the amount of material that enters the full downstream processing circuit, they help lower our processing costs and environmental footprint, while allowing us to focus on the best recoverable tungsten feed."

Last month, the UK's National Wealth Fund announced an investment of up to $95.74m (£71m) in Tungsten West to support the restart of the Hemerdon mine.

"Tungsten West to relaunch Hemerdon mine by early 2027" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.