The restart of the Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine in Devon, United Kingdom, is emerging as a key development in Europe’s effort to secure supply of strategic raw materials used across defence, aerospace, industrial tooling, and advanced manufacturing sectors. The project is being advanced by Tungsten West, an AIM-listed mining company developing one of the largest non-Chinese tungsten sources.
Strategic role of Hemerdon in global tungsten supply
The Hemerdon project is positioned to supply approximately 20% of global primary tungsten production outside China once fully operational, according to company estimates. The deposit is located near Plymouth and is being redeveloped as a large-scale tungsten and tin producer within a critical minerals framework increasingly focused on supply-chain security.
The project sits within the broader context of China’s dominance in tungsten mining, processing, and export availability, making alternative Western supply sources strategically significant for defence and industrial users.
EU Critical Raw Materials Act designation and strategic classification
In June 2025, Hemerdon was designated as a Strategic Project under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) in the category covering non-EU supply assets. The designation reflects its relevance to wider European industrial supply security, despite its location in the United Kingdom.
The project is also aligned with emerging European initiatives to develop joint stockpiles of critical minerals, including tungsten, rare earths, and gallium, as part of efforts to strengthen resilience against trade disruptions.
Resource base, production profile and mine life
The Hemerdon operation is supported by a 70.7 million tonne ore reserve, grading 0.15% WO₃ and 0.03% tin, containing approximately 10.3 million metric tonne units of tungsten trioxide (WO₃). The broader resource base totals 326.8 million tonnes, grading 0.12% WO₃ and 0.03% tin, containing 39.7 million metric tonne units of WO₃.
The production plan targets processing capacity of 3.5 million tonnes per year of ore feed, with steady-state output expected to average 332,000 metric tonne units of WO₃ annually and 462 tonnes of tin, alongside additional revenue from premium aggregates. The base case mine life includes an 11-year primary mining phase, followed by four years of stockpile reprocessing and 12 years of aggregate production, with potential extension under “Hemerdon Futures” beyond 40 years.
Capital structure and development financing
The project contains an estimated US$300 million in historical investment, including prior infrastructure, processing facilities, waste systems, and pre-stripping work. A 2025 restart plan estimated additional capital requirements of US$93 million, covering crushing, screening, ore sorting systems, processing upgrades, and environmental mitigation measures. In May 2026, Tungsten West secured a US$25 million bridging loan facility from an entity controlled by major shareholder Gregory Coffey. The facility supports initial restart activities, while due diligence continues on a broader debt package of up to US$85 million.
Restart timeline and production ramp-up schedule
The planned restart sequence includes commissioning of the fines gravity circuit in Q3 2026, followed by the coarse gravity circuit in Q4 2026, and full commissioning targeted for Q1 2027.
The company is targeting processing capacity of 500 tonnes per hour during 2027 as operations ramp toward steady-state production.
Historical infrastructure and plant redevelopment
Hemerdon is a brownfield restart project with existing infrastructure including an open pit, mineral processing facility, mine waste systems, workshops, offices, and associated site infrastructure. The redevelopment strategy includes installation of a new crushing and screening circuit, ore-sorting systems, in-line pressure jigs, stockpile blending improvements, and refurbishment of selected processing plant components. The project design aims to address operational issues experienced during the previous production phase, particularly related to plant configuration and recovery performance.
Polymetallic output and by-product streams
In addition to tungsten production, Hemerdon is designed to produce tin as a co-product, contributing additional revenue streams. The project also includes premium aggregates production, intended to support local construction markets and improve material utilisation across the site.
Operational design and environmental controls
The restart plan includes significant environmental and noise mitigation measures. These include construction of noise-control buildings, installation of equipment enclosures, removal of higher-noise machinery, sub-surface crushing and screening units, reduced operating hours for front-end crushing, and modified haul truck designs to reduce noise emissions.
These measures reflect regulatory and community requirements in the Devon region, where the project is located near residential areas including Plympton.
Equipment deployment and workforce expansion
Operational preparation includes deployment of Komatsu mobile mining equipment for pre-production activity, with additional heavy earth-moving machinery scheduled for delivery in June 2026.
Tungsten West reported plans to hire more than 120 additional personnel by the end of June 2026, supporting commissioning and ramp-up activities. Mobile crushing and washing services have also been contracted for early-stage processing on a variable-cost basis.
Production volumes and market positioning
At full production, Hemerdon is designed to be one of the largest Western tungsten operations, with a significant share of non-Chinese supply output. The project’s production profile is supported by both tungsten and tin streams, alongside aggregate sales.
The tungsten concentrates market has been described by the company as strongly supported by demand conditions, while pricing assumptions in the development plan use a base-case level of US$400 per metric tonne unit.
Processing system redesign and operational improvements
The new processing configuration introduces ore sorting, updated crushing systems, improved blending practices, and refurbishment of existing plant infrastructure. These changes are intended to improve recovery rates, operational stability, and cost efficiency compared with the previous operating phase.
The redesign represents a full replacement of earlier processing configurations rather than a restart of the legacy plant in its original form.
Market context and supply chain dynamics
Tungsten supply remains heavily concentrated in China across mining, processing, and export channels. This concentration has increased strategic attention from Europe and allied economies due to supply-chain vulnerability concerns across industrial and defence applications.
Tungsten is used in cutting tools, drilling systems, aerospace components, semiconductor tooling, armour applications, and energy-sector machinery, making it a dual-use material spanning civilian and military supply chains.
Pricing sensitivity and cost structure
The project’s economic model depends on maintaining stable operating costs and secure offtake agreements. Market conditions, including export controls and supply disruptions, continue to influence tungsten availability and pricing dynamics.
Tungsten West has indicated ongoing discussions with multiple potential offtake partners, with customer qualification and supply security expected to play a central role in future project financing and revenue stability.
