Top10 Tungsten Mine Projects Outside China V: Drakelands Mine

The Drakelands Mine, formerly known as the Hemerdon Tungsten Mine, is located 11 kilometers (7 miles) northeast of Plymouth, Devon, England, near Plymouth. It is one of the top ten tungsten mine projects outside China. The British Geological Survey The bureau ranks it as the fourth largest tungsten and tin mine in the world.

The mine was out of operation since 1944, except for the brief operation of a trial mine in the 1980s. Work started to re-open it in 2014, but it ceased activities in 2018. It hosts the fourth largest tin-tungsten deposit in the world. Previous data showed that the proven ore reserves of Drakeland Tungsten Mine were 35.7 million tons.

The mine contains 27.9 million tons of proven reserves grading at 0.19% WO₃ (tungstic oxide) and 0.03% Sn (Tin). Probable reserves total 7.8 million tons graded at 0.15% WO₃ and 0.02% Sn. Resources in the measured category amount to 39.9 million tons graded at 0.02% Sn, 0.15% W (tungsten), and 0.18%WO₃. Indicated resources were estimated to be 18.7Mt graded at 0.02% Sn, and 0.16% WO₃. Inferred resources are 86.6Mt graded at 0.02% Sn, and 0.14% WO₃.

The Hemerdon tungsten-tin deposit was discovered in 1867. In 1916, due to war associated tungsten shortages, an exploration and development program was initiated, which outlined a tin-tungsten stockwork suitable for open-cast extraction. In 1917, Hemerdon Mines Ltd decided to construct a 140,000-tonne per year mill, and shortly afterward open-cast ore mining operations began. The mine was operated from 1918 to 1919, during which time it processed 16,000 tonnes of ore. When the British government stopped accepting tungsten ores under the war pricing scheme the mine was forced to suspend mining operations.

From 1960 to 2006, companies in Canada, the United Kingdom, and North America carried out drilling, underground sampling, and prospect evaluation. However, the mine has been closed due to the low price of tungsten. Until 2007, with the recovery of tungsten prices, global tungsten mining and exploration activities gradually began to be active.

In December 2007, Wolf Minerals, a special metal exploration, and development company, acquired Hemerdon Mine and renamed it Drakelands Mine. In May 2011, Wolf Minerals completed the feasibility study of the Drakelands Mine Project outside China and officially started production in 2015. However, the Mine has never achieved its mining or financial goals. In October 2018, Wolf Minerals was overwhelmed and went bankrupt after losing 100 million pounds. So, the Drakeland Tungsten Mine was announced to be re-closed.

In November 2019, Tungsten West acquired the Drakelands Mine for 2.8 million pounds in cash. The feasibility study and further financing plans are currently underway to prepare for the resumption of the mine’s production activities in 2021. The restart cost is expected to be 30 to 40 million pounds. Tungsten West hopes to fill the gap in the tungsten concentrate market outside China through the Drakeland Tungsten Mine. In addition, they plan to deploy green mining equipment, such as green energy power supply, for the mine within a few years.

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