Mining company sets out stall for 24/7 rolls crusher

Hi all,

I like what this company is doing over in the UK, they are keeping the people around the mine site up to-date with all the on goings at the mine site, as well as future plans for the mine site. To me, this shows just how professional this company is, they are doing all they can, to move this project (tungsten) going forward ASAP.

As a investor in WLF, it is very nice to see a company doing just this, keeping all inform of what is happening around the mine site, with the live stream video of the mine site, which if you use it, it's awesome to keep an eye on how thing's are progressing at the mine site.  

Looking forward to 2015 and beyond!



Friday, 16 January 2015

PEOPLE living near a soon-to-open tungsten and tin mine attended an event last week to hear about the operator’s plan to run a huge piece of machinery 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Wolf Minerals, the Australian metals company that owns the Drakelands mine near Sparkwell, intends to submit a planning application by the end of the month that would allow it to run the mine’s primary crusher continuously.
The company held a public consultation event at Sparkwell Parish Hall on Thursday, January 8, to inform people of its plans.

When planning permission was originally granted for the mine in the 1980s, it specified that the machine could not work between 6pm on Saturdays and 6am on Mondays. But Wolf said that was based on the noise levels generated by an old-fashioned ‘jaw crusher’, whereas the one currently under construction is a modern, quieter ‘rolls crusher’.  John Briggs, the company’s mineral planning and estates manager, explained that Wolf will ask for a six-month trial of the seven-day working so it can demonstrate to locals how quiet the machine is. After the first three months, if all goes well and there are no objections, the company will seek full permission to make the arrangement permanent.

Sparkwell resident Penny Williams said she is particularly concerned about the possibility of dust in the air, as well as possible noise and vibration. She was looking for reassurance on these issues. She was told by a representative of the company that it would use special machines to spray water to keep any dust down. She approved of the consultation and said that, as the mine would be running for 10 years, it was important that locals and the mine operators ‘got on with each other’. ‘Where we are, even in the centre of the village, there’s a tiny bit of traffic noise in the morning, but it’s very quiet for the rest of the day and I’d hate that to change,’ said Penny. ‘But it will change when they start the work at the school – although I’m completely in favour of that – and start building the golf course development.’

Alan and Sandra Clemo both grew up close to the site and later lived in a house that is now boarded up because of its proximity to the mine.  Alan said: ‘We’ve seen a lot of memories just excavated. When you see the place you grew up just ripped apart, then obviously it affects you; it’s not a nice thing to witness.  ‘My main concern personally is the seven-day running and whether it’s possible to have a quiet rock-crushing machine.’

John Denny has lived in the area all his life and was keen to see the mine working. He said: ‘I’ve been waiting for this since I was eight years old and I hope it all goes to plan. There are people who are against it, but I don’t see it – it’s going to employ lots of local people.’

MP Gary Streeter, whose South West Devon constituency includes the mine site, attended the consultation.
He said: ‘I’m glad they’re consulting people over this. They’ve done a first-class job with public engagement and as a consequence have had very few complaints.

‘This is about the issue of noise at the weekend. It’s very finely balanced and I’ll be led by the parish council on it. But I definitely want the operation to succeed, as it will provide jobs for local people.’

Jeff Harrison, operations manager at the mine, said he was expecting a reasonable turnout at the event, but thought that people would be ‘mostly curious, rather than in great opposition’ to the plans.  ‘I’m in touch with the parish councils, and I go to their meetings, and in general people understand what we’re trying to do and are reasonably happy,’ he said. ‘We try to be as open as possible and let people know what’s going on so there are no surprises, and we welcome people communicating with us when they have any issues.

‘As a result we’ve had no objector groups formed, no people waving banners, no petitions and no graffiti.
‘In the nine years that Wolf Minerals has been involved, we’ve worked with the community throughout.’
Mr Harrison also confirmed that the mine was on target to start production in July this year.

http://www.ivybridge-today.co.uk/ne...company sets out stall for 24/7 rolls crusher