Tungsten West PLC (AIM:TUN), the mining company focused on recommencing production at the Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine in Devon, said its temporary aggregates plant has been commissioned.
The newly installed Terex AggWash 60 plant was commissioned at the end of November and will operate while the Hemerdon process plant is redeveloped and a separate full-scale aggregates plant is built, the company said in a statement.
Aggregates produced at Hemerdon are a by-product of the metalliferous mining process. Due to technical innovation planned at the upgraded Hemerdon process plant, they represent a secondary cash-flow opportunity for the company and assist towards its 'no-waste' target for the project.
Its Aggregates West subsidiary is currently selling an average of 1,000 tonnes per day through its partnership with the construction materials supplier GRS (Roadstone) Ltd (GRS).
The materials supplied from Hemerdon are sustainably produced and will aid the country in meeting the demand for aggregate material while becoming more self-sufficient, Tungsten West said.
It will progressively scale its aggregate operations until the full-scale aggregates plant is commissioned in 2022.
Max Denning, CEO of Tungsten West, said: "The aggregates business will be an important secondary cash flow generating operation at Hemerdon that importantly will utilise surplus material from our mining operation.
“The temporary operation will allow Tungsten West to build market share and demonstrate the quality of our aggregate material and, once in full scale operation, we will be one of the first mining companies in the world to implement the dual production and sale of tungsten and tin, together with aggregate product.
"Through our partnership with GRS, we will have the ability to meet growing market demand for aggregate material in the UK, aiding the country in becoming more self-sufficient.”