Hemerdon mine: Tungsten plans put on hold

Mining at Hemerdon had been due to start in 2023

Plans to reopen a tungsten mine near Plymouth have been put on hold due to rising costs and tungsten's current market value.

The disused Hemerdon Mine was taken over by Tungsten West in 2019.

In March, the firm said it planned to restart operations in early 2023 and employ about 300 people.

However, in a new statement, it said it was "pausing" the development plan "to evaluate alternative approaches to restarting mining".

It said partly due to the war in Ukraine, many of its costs, including steel, cement, explosives, power and diesel, had seen "significant and rapid inflation".

Meanwhile, it added, the price of tungsten had not risen enough to justify mining.

The plans would have seen tungsten and tin mined at the site and waste granite sold as aggregate for the construction industry.

The mine was previously operated by Australian mining company Wolf Minerals Ltd, but it filed for administration in 2018.