Tungsten West has announced progress on its plans to restart production at the Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine in Devon, UK, including the formal appointment of Duo Group as EPC contractor for the new crushing, screening and ore sorting facility, and a supply agreement with Gekko Systems for an InLine Pressure Jig (IPJ) system and associated infrastructure.
The Hemerdon redevelopment program outlines an initial primary mine life of approximately 11 years, with further upside potential through stockpile reprocessing and long‑term co‑product aggregate sales. During this period, Hemerdon is expected to deliver average annual production of approximately 331,000 MTU of tungsten (WO₃) and around 462 tonnes of tin.
Gekko Systems InLine Pressure Jig in the Ballarat Manufacturing Facility
Tungsten West has now executed two major supply agreements central to the improvement plan for restarting the Hemerdon Mineral Processing Facility (MPF).
The agreement with Duo Group formalises the heads of terms signed late last year for the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) works package.
Under the agreement with Gekko Systems, an IPJ system will be deployed to upgrade the coarse particle feed material at Hemerdon, reducing the volume of coarse material requiring processing within the existing MPF by a further 75%. All fines material (<0.8 mm) and significantly upgraded coarse material (0.8 mm to 7 mm) will then be treated through the refurbished MPF to produce saleable tungsten and tin concentrates.
Together, these agreements cover all major new additions required to complete the process flowsheet improvement program, including:
- A new primary jaw crusher and secondary cone crusher from Metso, replacing legacy hybrid rolls crushers to deliver improved reliability, efficiency, crushing performance and environmental compliance.
- A crushed ore stockpile to provide buffer capacity and enhance reliability of supply.
- An ore sorting facility using TOMRA Mining’s advanced particle scanning technology to separate higher‑quality recoverable material from waste rock, reducing the volume of material processed in the MPF by around 70%.
Jeff Court, CEO of Tungsten West, said:
“These supply agreements will ensure that we have all the major processing additions in place to implement the improvement plan at the MPF. I want to extend my gratitude to both of our new supply partners for their support of Tungsten West and the project, and I look forward to updating the market with further progress as we advance towards our path to production.”
Martin McWilliams, Managing Director of Duo, added:
“Works on site will commence immediately, marking an important step forward in the delivery of the new build construction program. We look forward to working collaboratively with the Tungsten West team to support the successful redevelopment of the project. We are committed to executing the program in a disciplined and timely manner to support the company’s operational and environmental objectives.”
Andrew Edmondston, CEO of Gekko Systems, said:
“The IPJ has been successfully employed in pre-concentration applications in many tin and tungsten projects around the world. Its many benefits include high recoveries, low operating costs and low water usage. We look forward to these benefits being realised on the Hemerdon project.”
