Hemerdon Tungsten Mine
Hemerdon Tungsten Mine
A Mining Waste Facility permit, which allows the operator to store waste from the mining process on site.
A Mineral Processing Plant permit, which allows the operator to crush and screen rock, then process the material to extract tungsten.
What is this site and why is it of high public interest?
Hemerdon Tungsten Mine sits on the edge of Dartmoor, northwest of Plymouth. Between 2014 and 2018, Wolf Minerals Ltd operated the mine. During this time, the local community experienced ‘low frequency noise’, which some could feel as vibrations in their homes.
Before Wolf Minerals could make the changes needed to meet the requirements of its environmental permit, the company went into administration and mining operations stopped in 2018.
The site is now owned by Drakelands Restoration Limited (DRL), a subsidiary of Tungsten West Limited (TWL). The company is working towards restarting operations under new environmental permits.
Tungsten is a critical mineral and forms part of the UK Government's Critical Minerals Strategy. The mine is strategically important because it could support economic growth, jobs and the security of critical mineral supplies in the UK.
We have a clear dual purpose: to protect the environment and support sustainable development. These two goals aren't in competition: environmental recovery requires economic investment, and lasting economic growth will only happen when it's built on a healthy, resilient environment.
What activities are covered by the environmental permit?
We have issued two main environmental permits for the site:
Most bespoke environmental permits include pre-operational conditions. Operators must meet these requirements before they can begin the permitted activities.
We are working with DRL to help them understand and meet the pre-operational conditions attached to the Mineral Processing Plant permit.
There are also other water discharge activity permits and water abstraction licences for the site.
How do we regulate this site and check for compliance?
If the site becomes operational, we will inspect it regularly to make sure it complies with its environmental permits.
We will monitor emissions and activities covered by the permits, including noise, dust, odour and discharges to watercourses. Our role is to make sure these activities do not cause unacceptable harm to people or the environment.
Some environmental impacts can occur at industrial sites, but operators must control them effectively and keep them within the limits set out in their permits.
We do not regulate the excavation or blasting of rock. The Mining Remediation Authority is responsible for regulating those activities.