Edward Howell Galvanizers has been working closely with The Holborne Group over the past 18 months to provide its specialist hot-dip galvanizing treatment to a staggering 600 tonnes of structural steel, used as part of Wolf Minerals’ new £130million Drakelands Tungsten and Tin Mine in Hemerdon, Plymouth, which is set to open this year and officially become the UK’s first metal mine in 45 years.
The mine, which has been designed and constructed to process over 300,000 tonnes of tungsten and tin per year, houses an innovative processing facility as well as supporting infrastructure approximately 10km from Plymouth.
Carl Hanson, Managing Director at The Holborne Group, explained: “We’ve been working with Edward Howell Galvanizers for over 15 years and this is one of the most exciting – and challenging – projects we’ve worked together on to date. Our client, GR Engineering Services UK Ltd, required us to provide over 600 tonnes of steel, which was galvanized by Edward Howells and then delivered back to the Hemerdon site.”
The Wednesfield-based galvanizing firm, one of Wedge Group Galvanizing’s 14 operations across the UK, processed the steel which was used as constituents of the mine’s main buildings, with galvanizing specified as the finish of choice due to the challenging and aggressive underground environment.
Jim Lindsay, Sales Manager at Edward Howell Galvanizers, added: “This is an incredible project to be part of and we’re thrilled to have supported The Holborne Group, who we’ve had the pleasure of working with for many years. The mine is expected to be the third or fourth biggest tungsten mine in the world, and the fact that galvanizing has played a part in its creation is very rewarding. We look forward to working with The Holborne Group on similar projects in the months and years to come.”
South West Galvanizers, a sister plant of Edward Howell Galvanizers, was also involved in the construction of the mine, with it partnering with Centristic to galvanize steelwork used to form the steel conveyors in the mine’s distribution network, transporting materials to various areas of the plant, as well as bulk materials handling equipment, plate work and chute installations.