A company working to revive production at a tin mine in Cornwall has completed and officially opened a water treatment plant at the site.
Canadian-headquartered mining company Cornish Metals said the commissioning of the facility marked an “important milestone” for the project, with dewatering of the South Crofty mine in Pool near Redruth set to begin.
Like this story? Why not sign up to get the latest South West business news straight to your inbox.
READ MORE: {}
Over the summer the AIM-listed firm successfully installed and commissioned two submersible pumps which helped pump water out of the mine for the first time since it was closed 25 years ago. Dewatering is set to take 18 months, with water being drawn from 360m below the surface in the New Cooks Kitchen mine shaft.
The water discharged from South Crofty powers a hydro-turbine that generates up to 15% of the power consumed by the plant.
Cornish Metals said the treated water met its permitted standards, set by the Environment Agency, for discharge into the Red River. It added that dewatering the mine and treating the water would have “a positive effect” on water quality in the Red River, which currently receives untreated mine water as a legacy of past mining activities.
Richard Williams, chief executive and director of Cornish Metals, said: "The start of dewatering of the South Crofty mine is an important milestone for the continued advancement of the project towards an investment decision.
“Teams from Cornish Metals, our suppliers and dedicated local contractors have worked extremely hard over the last year to get to this point. Planning and preparation are underway for the re-accessing of the mine, which will take place in parallel with mine dewatering."
Most Read
Cornish Metals has said restarting mineral exploration at South Crofty could create 250 to 200 direct jobs in Cornwall, formerly one of the world’s major tin-producing areas, and help address deficits in global tin supply.
Last year the company raised £40.5m to fund the construction of the mine water treatment plant, dewatering and a feasibility study, with a target of recommencing tin production at the mine in 2026.
The company is looking to establish a primary production site for the critical metal for Europe and North America, with around 75% of the tin mined today coming from China, Myanmar and Indonesia.
In January the firm said it had found new high-grade tin at the southern boundary of South Crofty. The discovery was made while drilling on part of the Great Flat Lode - a mineral-bearing body of rock under the southern slopes of Carn Brea south of Camborne in west Cornwall.
South Crofty was closed in 1998, following more than 400 years of continuous production, and was acquired by Cornish Metals in 2016.