CORNWALL’S ambitions for the county to be a world-class region for metal mining and a key player in decarbonising the UK economy has received a boost as Cornwall Resources Limited (CRL) announces a new mineral rights agreement with the Duchy of Cornwall.

CRL has been working on bringing forward the Redmoor project, based at Kelly Bray, which is an area which saw extensive historic mining from Roman times to the mid-1940s.

The announcement involves a mineral rights agreement with the Duchy over areas including the historic Manors of Stoke Climsland and Calstock, and portions of Linkinhorne and Callington parishes adjacent to CRL’s existing Redmoor License area.

The new license areas, referred to as the Tamar Valley License Area by CRL, adds a further 63km² of mineral rights to CRL’s operating area and is covered by a three-year initial agreement. It will allow CRL to continue its regional exploration activities and some more targeted projects to further establish new exploration targets and potential mineral resources.

Since 2016 CRL has undertaken minerals exploration activities, including borehole drilling, focused on the Redmoor Project, aimed at developing an underground tungsten, tin and copper deposit.

In addition, through the Deep Digital Cornwall project, CRL undertook regional exploration activities within its existing 23km² license area, including soil sampling, geophysics and a helicopter aerial survey to establish further target areas. 

CRL’s exploration for critical minerals resources, alongside other minerals development projects in Cornwall, are viewed as vital to our ability to reach NetZero as established by the UK government through its critical minerals strategy. Development of these projects could allow Cornwall to become a future domestic source of much needed metals and create a new mining industry in the South West with high-paid and skilled jobs.

Alan Broome AM, chairman of Strategic Minerals Plc, the AIM-listed parent company of CRL, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce agreement on these mineral rights in areas that historically supported active mining within the Tamar Valley Mining District. It further underlines the Company’s strategy to be part of the resurgence of mining activity in the UK and directly contribute to the deliverability of the UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy and Cornwall’s ambition to be a world-class region for metal mining and georesources.”

Dennis Rowland, CRL project manager, added: “This exciting agreement, a first of its kind in modern times with The Duchy of Cornwall, will allow CRL to further explore for critical minerals in the historic and highly prospective Tamar Valley Mining District.

“CRL will continue its record of safe, effective, and sensitive project activities, while working closely with local communities, tenant farmers, and landowners. We plan to hold public engagement events soon to further detail our plans for the next chapter of our exploration of the area.”