From Feasibility to Production: Tungsten West's CEO on the Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

In today’s episode, we're joined by Jeff Court, CEO of Tungsten West, the company redeveloping the Hemerdon tungsten project in Devon, UK Jeff’s worked on mining projects all over the world, and we’ll be talking about his journey into leadership, why tungsten is such a critical mineral, and what it takes to bring a historic mine back into production. We’ll also cover the company’s new feasibility study, financing challenges, and what the EU Critical Raw Materials Act means for Hemerdon. KEY TAKEAWAYS Tungsten is classified as a critical mineral due to its unique properties, such as high density and tensile strength, making it essential in various industries, including mining, construction, transportation, and defence. Tungsten West requires approximately $93 million to restart production at the Hemerdon project, with funding expected to come from a combination of debt and equity. The feasibility study indicates a strong economic outlook, with a potential internal rate of return (IRR) of around 48%. The project incorporates modern mining practices focused on sustainability, including noise reduction measures and community engagement to ensure compliance with environmental standards and to maintain good relations with local residents. The Hemerdon project has been designated as a strategic project under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, which enhances its profile and may facilitate access to government-backed funding BEST MOMENTS "Tungsten's not gold, it's not iron ore, it's a very interesting specialty metal space that also has a lot of off-take supply requirements around it too."  "We have about a 12-month period before we start production."  "It raises profile, certainly... it solidifies our credentials."  "We want to be a good neighbour. We're going to be there a minimum of 40 years."  VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail:        ⁠[email protected]⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ X:              ⁠https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson⁠  YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast⁠  Web:        ⁠http://www.mining-international.org⁠ GUEST SOCIALS  X - @TungstenWest https://x.com/TungstenWest LinkedIn - @ Tungsten West plc https://www.linkedin.com/company/tungsten-west-plc/ Facebook - Tungsten West plc https://www.facebook.com/tungstenwest/ Website: https://www.tungstenwest.com/  Contact: [email protected] CONTACT METHOD ⁠[email protected]⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.  This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/