News

The mine near Hemerdon, on the edge of Plymouth, is of national significance as the first new metal mine to be opened in the UK for 45 years.

Many contracts have been awarded to companies across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset with contract values ranging from under £100,000 to £3 million. The majority of the high value contracts are for equipment and the infrastructure for the mine site, as well as specialist professional consultancy services.

Wolf Minerals managing director Russell Clark said: “The scale and specialist nature of work is already delivering significant positive economic benefits for local companies, their supply chains and the wider economy.

“There is a wealth of specialist expertise and enthusiasm in Devon and Cornwall for this project and we are very pleased to be supporting local companies and harnessing their skills to create a world class mine.

“The Drakelands Mine, Hemerdon project will create about 200 direct jobs and pump hundreds of millions of pounds into the South West and UK economies over the next decade.”

South West contract winners include:

• £3 million to Centristic Limited near Newton Abbot in South Devon to design, manufacture and install 11 conveyors for the mined material throughout the processing stages; and provide steel-work, pipe-work and plate-work for the structure of buildings on the mine site.
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• About 35 Centristic employees will work on the contract for Wolf Minerals from now until March 2015 including draughtsmen, engineers, fabrication and site operational staff. The firm successfully recruited local people to four new posts as a direct result of the Wolf Minerals project.

Centristic Operations Director James Hepworth said: “We are proud to be playing our part in a mining project of this national importance. As well as direct employment for our employees from this contract we will also be providing work for other Devon firms, such as South West Galvanisers Ltd based in Crediton.

“The majority of our work will be done at our Heathfield premises including pre-assembly of key parts of the building structures and conveyors because the mine site is exposed to the weather elements so we want the installation to be as precise and smooth as possible.”

£1.7 million to Dawnus based in Exeter, Devon, to supply and install all the concrete structures for the new crushing and processing plant and other operational buildings on the mine site.

At the peak of installation there will be approximately 50 Dawnus staff and sub-contractors, such as carpenters and steel-fixers, working on the contract.

Dawnus Regional Director Rob Williams said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to support Wolf Minerals on this major project which will provide a significant boost to the local economy and resonates with the area’s industrial heritage.”

£150,000 to Holman Wilfley of Redruth to manufacture eight gravity or ‘shaking tables’ to separate out tin and tungsten from the extracted material towards the end of the mining processing activity. 

As well as providing work for the eight-strong workforce and sub-contracted Cornish firms, the contract has enabled Holman Wilfley to expand its engineering apprenticeship training programme. 

Holman Wilfley Director Chris Bailey said: “We welcome this UK supply contract for a new mine project of this kind. In the past the Holman gravity tables would have been installed in large numbers in support of tin mines across the South West. Today most of the gravity tables used by customers in this country are for separating out metals in recycling plants. We are proud to be associated with a mining project of this status closer to home.”

Nigel Jump, Visiting Professor in Regional Economic Development at the University of Plymouth and Executive Director of Strategic Economics Ltd, said, "Despite a proud history, mining investment in the south west has been sparse in recent years.  Wolf's investment is welcome news for supply chains and local employment, especially if it can be sustained and developed beyond the initial phase.  It is always good to hear about an export-orientated, high value added operation instigating new activity around Plymouth." 

The main contract for the mine processing plant was awarded last year by Wolf to Australian-based GR Engineering Services (GRES) which is maximising its use of South West and UK specialist firms on key areas of the build.

Drakelands Mine, which is scheduled to become operational in mid-2015, will make a significant contribution to the local, regional and national economy and earn valuable export revenue for the UK with annual production of 5,000 tonnes of tungsten concentrate.