Wolf Minerals Ltd (ASX:WLF, LON:WLFE) is continuing to ramp up activities at the recently developed Drakelands open pit mine at the Hemerdon tungsten and tin project in Devon, southwest England.
Ore mining is taking place in both the southern and the northern ends of the pit with several benches being mined concurrently.
Since mining has commenced, over 1.6 metres tonnes of ore has been mined and the pit surface has dropped by about 15 metres.
Processing plant testing by Wolf and GRES has highlighted a number of areas for improvement as the company works towards commercial production.
Wolf said it is working with the plant contractor, GRES, to get the plant running smoothly after a recent test highlighted recovery and product grade issues as well as a need for better access to equipment and environmental improvements.
A rise in the price of tungsten recently has given the miner a boost. The APT price has risen to US$225/mtu (March 2016 quarter average: US$172/mtu).
Prices for tungsten concentrates follow the same trend as prices for ammonium paratungstate (APT), said Wolf, a key intermediary product in the tungsten supply chain.
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