Wednesday 2 June 2021

New company set up to exploit secondary aggregates at Drakelands

An ex-Aggregate Industries geologist is helping the new owner of Drakelands – the tin and tungsten mine near Plymouth at Hemerdon that fell into insolvency in 2018 – exploit the mine’s aggregates resource. Tungsten West is hoping to supply secondary aggregates to the Devon market and beyond – as we posted in Drakelands operator to begin selling 700,000 tonnes of stockpiled aggregates – with aim to “saturate” local market.

According to Devon County Council's latest monitoring report:  
There has been considerable assessment over the past year about the nature and potential extent of the aggregate resource at Hemerdon. The aggregates production is currently in experimental and demonstration phases and a new company, Aggregates West (AW) is producing a variety of different aggregates and sands from the killas and granite overburden and the Dense Media Separation solids from the process plant which were previously tipped at the foot of the Mine Waste Facility. A specialist geologist (Touchstone Geology) has been appointed who is a competent person to assess these matters to feed into the Definitive Feasibility Study. The assessment has included processing methods, capitalising the existing stockpiles and future mine wastes that might be produced with the use of the ore sorting technology. Some of the aggregates produced have also been assessed by the Devon County Council Materials Laboratory as being suitable for road surfacing and construction. AW has now also become a member of the Regional Aggregates Working Party and has stated its intention to contribute to the amount of secondary aggregates produced in Devon. 
The firm which bought the Drakelands mine near Plympton for £2.8million 18 months ago has completed a feasibility study and is now looking at options for reopening the site. Tungsten West Ltd has said it will look to raise finance off the back of the feasibility report, and that it will cost £30million to £40million to restart production.
Tungsten West is hoping to raise up to GBP20 million in equity and a further GBP40 million in debt, according to the Times, adding it is backed by former JP Morgan Chase & Co banker Ian Hannam and Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC co-founder Simon Nixon. 

Residents living next to a closed-down tungsten mine are 'terrified' its planned reopening will continue to blight their lives once again.

Residents are fearful that the mine’s Low Frequency Noise, vibrations, blasts and dust will begin spoiling their peace and quiet once again. 

One resident, who asked to be anonymous, fought back tears when she recalled what it was like living in Sparkwell when the mine was running last. 

“I found it really, really upsetting,” she said. “Literally everything in the house would rattle. 

“At night time, it was hard to sleep and dust in the air would fall down on our garden. How could they be allowed to be this disruptive? I do not want the mine to start up again.” 

Whilst the Environment Agency says it has given Tungsten West “a very clear steer” that lessons need to be learned from when Wolf Minerals Ltd operated the site, residents fear their lives will be turned upside down if and when Tungsten West reopens the controversial site. 

In the most recent correspondence from the Environment Agency, a letter dated January 27, area director for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Helen Dobby wrote: “Since Tungsten West Ltd (TWL) acquired the mine site at Hemerdon, our local industry regulation officers have been working very closely with our national noise experts to provide advice and guidance. “We have given TWL a very clear steer that lessons must be learnt from the previous operations and appropriate control measures must be used to protect the local community. “Please be assured that TWL will need to demonstrate and justify the appropriate measures they intend to use to operate the Mineral Processing Facility, while protecting the local community and environment. “We understand from TWL that there will be some significant changes to the process plant, which they believe will demonstrate best available techniques for controlling noise and infrasound. As yet, we have not seen the full details of this.”
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