Historic 'South Crofty' tin mine near Camborne could reopen by 2026
The re-opening of Cornwall's last tin mine has taken a step forward with the launch of a new water treatment plant.
South Crofty in Pool was mined continuously for 400 years, but ceased operating in 1998.
Its current owner, the mineral exploration and development firm Cornish Metals wants to resume mining at the site. The company says the project will create up to 300 local jobs.
The first phase saw the opening of a £7M water treatment plant which will pump out 25 million litres of water a day from South Crofty's underground tunnels. The treated water will then go back into the nearby Red River.
The discharged water also powers a hydro-turbine that generates up to 15% of the power consumed by the water treatment plant.
Cornish Metals CEO Richard Williams says the company is aiming to restart mining in 2026.
He told ITV News: ''We estimate the area we want to pump out is about 8 million cubic metres and it's going to take 18 months. There's a vast amount of tin left in the ground here, it's one of the worlds best tin deposits and we aim to get back into production.''
Former South Crofty miner Mark Kazcmarek is now working as a community liaison for the project. He originally mined at South Crofty from 1981 to 1998.
Mark Kaczmarek, Former South Crofty miner: ''Crofty never closed because it ran out of tin, it closed because of economic circumstances. I always believed when the economics changed, Crofty would reopen.''
''I didn't believe I'd see it in my lifetime, but here we are with the pumps going to be switched on and Crofty given a new lease of life and it is actually happening.''
Tin is needed in the production of the electronic gadgets and vehicles we use every day. In July 2022 it was recognised as a Critical Mineral by the UK government.
Cornish Minerals CEO Richard Williams explains: ''It's a very simple use, it's a solder for the electrical connections in computers, iphones and electric vehicles. However 75% of all the tin today comes from China and Indonesia.''
The company also plans to build a mineral processing plant before it reaches the tin extraction stage.