Dig Deep

In today’s episode, we're joined by Jeff Court, CEO of Tungsten West, the company redeveloping the Hemerdon tungsten project in Devon, UK Jeff’s worked on mining projects all over the world, and we’ll be talking about his journey into leadership, why tungsten is such a critical mineral, and what it takes to bring a historic mine back into production. We’ll also cover the company’s new feasibility study, financing challenges, and what the EU Critical Raw Materials Act means for Hemerdon. KEY TAKEAWAYS Tungsten is classified as a critical mineral due to its unique properties, such as high density and tensile strength, making it essential in various industries, including mining, construction, transportation, and defence. Tungsten West requires approximately $93 million to restart production at the Hemerdon project, with funding expected to come from a combination of debt and equity. The feasibility study indicates a strong economic outlook, with a potential internal rate of return (IRR) of around 48%. The project incorporates modern mining practices focused on sustainability, including noise reduction measures and community engagement to ensure compliance with environmental standards and to maintain good relations with local residents. The Hemerdon project has been designated as a strategic project under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, which enhances its profile and may facilitate access to government-backed funding BEST MOMENTS "Tungsten's not gold, it's not iron ore, it's a very interesting specialty metal space that also has a lot of off-take supply requirements around it too."  "We have about a 12-month period before we start production."  "It raises profile, certainly... it solidifies our credentials."  "We want to be a good neighbour. We're going to be there a minimum of 40 years."  VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail:        ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ X:              ⁠https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson⁠  YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast⁠  Web:        ⁠http://www.mining-international.org⁠ GUEST SOCIALS  X - @TungstenWest https://x.com/TungstenWest LinkedIn - @ Tungsten West plc https://www.linkedin.com/company/tungsten-west-plc/ Facebook - Tungsten West plc https://www.facebook.com/tungstenwest/ Website: https://www.tungstenwest.com/  Contact: TungstenWest@blytheray.com CONTACT METHOD ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.  This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Heather White, CEO of Sunshine Silver Mining & Refining Company, brings nearly 30 years of mining expertise to the discussion. She shares exciting plans for restarting the historic Sunshine Complex in Idaho, targeting initial silver production by 2028. Heather also highlights the strategic importance of antimony, crucial for clean energy and defense, while unveiling Sunshine's plans for the U.S.'s only large-scale antimony refinery. Expect insights into investor takeaways and regulatory reforms necessary to accelerate domestic mineral production.

In this episode, we chat to Matt Fifield, Executive Chair of Cyprium Metals, an emerging Australian copper producer focused on bringing the Nifty Copper Project back into production. They recently completed an A$80 million equity raise, strengthening their balance sheet and securing new institutional support from Tribeca and the Tanito Group. With the rebuild of the Nifty operation now underway, the company is on track to deliver first copper cathode within the next 12 months, positioning itself as the only ASX-listed copper developer expected to achieve near-term production. We discuss the company's next milestones, from construction and refurbishment progress, to partnerships with Macmahon and strategies for mitigating execution risk. Matt will also share his insights on funding strategy, the evolving copper market, and how his background in global mining investment has shaped Cyprium’s disciplined approach to growth. KEY TAKEAWAYS Cyprium Metals is an emerging copper producer focused on restarting the Nifty Copper project, a brownfield site in Western Australia with a substantial sulphide reserve. The restart is being executed in two phases: Phase 1 involves bringing the heap leach and SX-EW plant back online for copper cathode production within the next 12 months, followed by Phase 2 The company successfully completed an $80 million equity raise with support from both existing shareholders and new institutional investors, including Tribeca and Tanedo Group A strategic partnership with Macmahon, a major mine contractor, is mitigating execution and schedule risks by providing deep capacity in construction, project management, and mining BEST MOMENTS "What you have to figure out is you have to figure out what do you need to do and then what do you need to stop doing... and then you just need to simplify and get to a place where you can crawl your way out of the situation." "The first phase of what we're doing is we're turning on the heap leach and it generates some really significant early cash flows for us." "We're ahead of the wave of greenfields. This is the time for brownfields. This is the time to restart old plants... you can deliver them faster." VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail:        ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ X:              ⁠https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson⁠  YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast⁠  Web:        ⁠http://www.mining-international.org⁠ GUEST SOCIALS  https://cypriummetals.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/cyprium-metals Email: communications@cypriummetals.com CONTACT METHOD ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.  This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

In this episode, we chat with Anthony Vaccaro, President of The Northern Miner Group, which includes The Northern Miner, Canadian Mining Journal, and Mining.com, some of the most trusted voices in global mining media. We talk about a truly unique initiative; The Great Canadian Treasure Hunt, a nationwide adventure blending Canada’s love of exploration with its rich mining heritage. Anthony will share how the idea came about, why it’s captured the imagination of so many Canadians, and how it’s helping reconnect the public with the importance of mining and its role in our modern economy. We also look at how this initiative highlights collaboration across Canada’s mining and investment community and what participants can expect next as the hunt continues. KEY TAKEAWAYS The Great Canadian Treasure Hunt is a nationwide initiative created by the Northern Miner Group to reconnect the Canadian public with the importance and rich history of the mining industry. The hunt involves embedding clues within articles and stories about the mining sector's history and modern relevance, encouraging participants to learn while they search for hidden treasure chests containing gold coins. The top prize is a chest containing 217 gold coins (valued at over $1.1 million), and the hunt has already successfully engaged over 60,000 registered participants and reached over a million Canadians Beyond the treasure hunt for adults, the initiative includes a collaboration with Mining Matters to offer separate, age-appropriate puzzles and prizes BEST MOMENTS "The mining industry has a way of finding you... by far and away the mining sector was the most exciting sector to cover." "We said we're going to go with an emotional connector. People love treasure, people, when they're put in front of it, love gold... We strip that all the way." "This image that maybe I had growing up in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, that mining is all dirty and terrible, no... we want people to see that." "We are excited to hand it over to the winner. So, someone's going to find this treasure. We want it found. This wasn't hidden so that no one would find it." VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail:        ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ X:              ⁠https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson⁠  YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast⁠  Web:        ⁠http://www.mining-international.org⁠ GUEST SOCIALS  TNM's YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@northernminer TNM's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-northern-miner TNM's Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/northernminer TNM's X - https://x.com/northernminer TNM's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/northernminer TNM's Website - www.northernminer.com Treasure hunt website - treasure.northernminer.com email - treasure@northernminer.com Subscription link - https://membership.tnm.global/membership-plan CONTACT METHOD ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.  This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Johan Coetzee, Strategy and Consulting Lead for Resources at Accenture South Africa, brings nearly 30 years of experience in the mining sector. He discusses how digital innovation is reshaping African mining through automation and AI. Johan dispels myths around costly transformations, advocating for phased approaches. He emphasizes the balance between meeting global mineral demands and fostering local development. The conversation also highlights leveraging data for sustainability and profitability, along with strategies to enhance cybersecurity and close skill gaps.

In this engaging discussion, Geoff McNamara, Executive Director of Tesoro Gold, dives into the ambitious El Zorro Gold project in Chile, where they aim to expand their 2-million-ounce resource to over 3 million ounces. He elaborates on their recent $34 million raise to fund drilling and a pre-feasibility study by mid-2026. Highlighting the project's strong financial metrics—NPV over $650 million and an attractive IRR—Geoff also discusses the favorable mining environment in Chile and plans to meet permitting targets while addressing community engagement.

In this episode, we chat with Joachim Braun, Global Division President, Process Industries, at ABB, to explore the future of copper mining and its critical role in the global energy transition. With copper demand forecast to significantly outpace supply by 2035, the mining industry faces both enormous opportunity and intense pressure. We discuss how companies are adapting strategies, the sector’s responsibility for global emissions, and the path to net zero. Joachim shares insights from ABB’s research with 400+ mining leaders, highlighting barriers to progress, the importance of incremental innovation, and where miners can seize low-hanging fruit to drive real impact. From aligning production with sustainability to building future-ready operations, this conversation unpacks the strategies that will define the next generation of copper mining. KEY TAKEAWAYS Copper demand is forecasted to significantly outpace supply by 2035, driven by the energy transition and decarbonisation efforts, requiring the industry to accelerate the development of new deposits and increase extraction from existing assets. The sector's biggest sustainability challenge comes from extraction processes, primarily fuel-powered mining vehicles, which can be electrified with commercially viable solutions that also offer better performance, higher speed, and increased throughput. The most effective strategy for aligning production and sustainability goals involves incremental innovation, such as replacing diesel gensets with solar panels over time, rather than a "big bang" implementation, as this is more suited to the industry's long asset lifecycles and risk-averse mindset. Future-ready copper mining operations will be defined by full end-to-end electrification and digital integration, allowing for remote operation centres, predictive maintenance, and integrated planning BEST MOMENTS "The good news is that there are solutions, not only available, but becoming even more and more commercially viable without any legislative interventions into the market." "The challenge is that the lead time to develop copper deposits is incredibly long. It is longer than most legislators would imagine." "The worst thing what could happen is that with the aim of decarbonisation you basically end up with production losses, loss of competitiveness... whoever has the most efficient way of producing is basically winning the race." "If you bring this together, you already get a lot of benefits without really changing the way you operate, without massive investments." VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail:        ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ X:              ⁠https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson⁠  YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast⁠  Web:        ⁠http://www.mining-international.org⁠ GUEST SOCIALS  https://www.linkedin.com/in/joachim-braun-ba59654/  https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/abb-process-automation/  https://www.youtube.com/abbmining CONTACT METHOD ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.  This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

In today’s episode, we chat with Sean Wade, CEO of Power Metal Resources, and Ian Freeman, CEO of Minestarters. Sean has been on the show before, and Power Metal has been building momentum with its diverse portfolio and project incubator model. Ian joins us for the first time to introduce Minestarters, a new platform bringing blockchain and tokenisation into the world of mining finance. In this conversation, we’ll cover the progress Power Metal has made since Sean was last on the podcast, Ian’s journey to founding Minestarters, and how the platform is opening up new opportunities for project funding. We’ll also discuss the challenges with traditional mining finance, how this partnership complements Power Metal’s strategy, and what both companies have planned for the months ahead. KEY TAKEAWAYS Traditional mining finance is often constrained by a scarcity of capital, high costs, and long lock-up periods for investors, which has hindered the ability of junior miners to get projects funded. MineStarters is a fintech business that uses blockchain and tokenisation to create a decentralised finance (DeFi) network, connecting early-stage mining projects to global capital pools, allowing for 24/7 trading and liquidity. Power Metals' strategy is to continue its project incubator model—finding, developing, and crystalising assets—but with the added fintech dimension of MineStarters The partnership is highly synergistic: Power Metals will invest up to £3 million for up to a 49% equity stake in MineStarters, which will generate revenue through deal and platform fees BEST MOMENTS "The world we've been in and are in is is is tough. It's it's reduced very, very substantially. What this is going to do is going to take our model, existing model, and it's going to develop it further." "What tokenisation allows, through this distributed, um, so decentralised finance network that's enabled by the blockchain, it allows us to take this on-chain capital and bridge to the off-chain real-world asset." "I believe that the MineStarters platform, the business itself, will create a tremendous amount of value. 49% of that will be owned by the Power Metal shareholders." "We are very firmly in the space of the project incubator... The idea is that we get started on the projects, we turn them into a company, IPO that business” VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail:        ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ X:              ⁠https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson⁠  YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast⁠  Web:        ⁠http://www.mining-international.org⁠ GUEST SOCIALS  Power Metal Resources X - https://x.com/PowerMetRes LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/power-metal-resources/ https://www.powermetalresources.com info@powermetalresources.com  Minestarters X - https://x.com/minestarters25 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/minestarters/ https://minestarters.com/ https://www.sec.gov/about/sec-launches-project-crypto  CONTACT METHOD ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.  This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

In today’s episode, we're joined by Jacob Deysel, CEO of Critica, a company that is exploring rare earths in Western Australia. Jacob brings a wealth of experience across multiple commodities and jurisdictions, and is now focused on building a project in Australia at a time when rare earths are front and centre in the global supply chain conversation. We'll be discussing Critica’s roadmap built around Scale, Simplicity, and Speed and what it really takes to deliver on that. We’ll also touch on the challenges of metallurgy and processing, competing in a market dominated by China, and the all-important path to commercialisation and offtake agreements. Finally, we’ll hear Jacob’s personal reflections on leadership, lessons from his career, and what excites him most as he drives Critica forward. KEY TAKEAWAYS Critica is moving beyond just exploration to rebrand as Australia's next rare earth developer, with its flagship Jupiter Project positioned as the largest clay-hosted rare earth deposit in Australia. The Jupiter project is differentiated by its scale, simplicity, and speed. A key technical advantage is its highly homogeneous deposit and a clean flow sheet that achieves 95% mass rejection Critica has mitigated key industry risks by being a well-funded project with a milestone-driven approach to spending. Its location in Western Australia, a Tier 1 jurisdiction with stable government  Critica's goal is not to replace China, but to build a preferred non-China alternative for rare earth supply, focusing on producing a traceable, ESG-compliant feedstock BEST MOMENTS "We are no longer just an explorer in the rare earth space. Under my leadership, Critica is rebadging... and we're moving forward as being Australia's next rare earth developer." "The biggest technical risk that most companies struggle with is metallurgy at scale... We are addressing that through a number of parallel work streams that's running at the moment." "Being a clay deposit have allowed us to reduce the mass upfront by 95%, upgrade the grade, the feed grade from the resource by about 800% before we get to leaching." "We are not replacing China, we are building a preferred non-China alternative in Western Australia... OEMs are really looking for traceable, ESG safe, compliant rare earth feedstock." VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail:        ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ X:              ⁠https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson⁠  YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast⁠  Web:        ⁠http://www.mining-international.org⁠ GUEST SOCIALS  https://critica.limited/ https://x.com/Critica_CRI CONTACT METHOD ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.  This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

In today’s episode, we're joined by Kevin Das, Senior Consultant at New Frontier Minerals, who sit right at the crossroads of the energy transition and geopolitics, with a portfolio of heavy rare earths and copper project, including their Harts Range project in the Northern Territory, and their copper asset at their Big One project.   We’re going to get Kevin’s overview of the company, its assets, and why heavy rare earths matter. We discuss the company's appointment of GeoDrill Australia and what that means for their Harts Range project as they move toward their maiden drilling program.   We’ll also explore the company's vision, including the path to fast-tracking copper production at Big One, also look at funding strategies across both projects, and most importantly, why investors should be paying attention now KEY TAKEAWAYS New Frontier Minerals has a portfolio focused on two key projects: the Hearts Range heavy rare earth project in the Northern Territory and the Big One copper project in Northwest Queensland Heavy rare earths like dysprosium and terbium are economically superior and strategically important The Big One copper project is considered the company's most advanced asset. New Frontier Minerals has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a neighbouring company, Austral Resources, to explore the possibility of toll-treating their ore at the nearby Mount Kelly processing facility The company is making progress on both projects. They have recently appointed a drilling contractor to begin their maiden drill program at the Hearts Range project BEST MOMENTS "Not all rare earths are created equal, and when you get one rare earth, you get all 15 of your rare earths." "Rare earths have become a bit of a household name." "If you're going to play copper, it's definitely one of the places to be." "If we can get one of those projects to work through a discovery or development, if not both of them, I think there's definitely going to be a rerating and a real value add for all shareholders." VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail:        ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ X:              ⁠https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson⁠  YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast⁠  Web:        ⁠http://www.mining-international.org⁠ GUEST SOCIALS  X: https://x.com/NewFrontierMin  ·  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/newfrontierminerals/    ·  Registered and Principal Office: 45 Ventnor Avenue, West Perth, Western Australia 6005 ·  Email: info@newfrontierminerals.com https://newfrontierminerals.com/  CONTACT METHOD ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.  This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/