Work starts to remove water from historic South Crofty tin mine
Plans to reopen a Cornish tin mine have taken a big step forward
Last updated 26th Oct 2023
The next major milestone has been announced in a project to get a Cornish tin mine operational again by 2026.
The first stage, to ‘de-water’ millions of litres of floodwater which has collected at South Crofty Mine, has started with the launch of a new water treatment plant.
Water will be cleaned in the new facility launched today (Thursday 26 October) to eventually be released into the Red River in north-west Cornwall.
The process is expected to take 18 months.
Richard Williams, CEO of Cornish Metals, said: "Because of the change in the world and the supply chains and the critical nature of tin to the electronics, it's Cornwall's time again.
"It will have a prominent role in mining tin and contributing to the UK's economy and the need for tin here.
"We can pump the water from the mine, treat it so it's drinking water quality, before it then gets discharged into the Red River.
"That will then allow us access to the old workings underground and hopefully lead to restarting mining of tin in Cornwall at South Crofty."
The project is expected to generate around 250 to 300 direct jobs for the Duchy once it’s completed in 2026.