Almonty Industries has completed phase one commissioning at the Sangdong Tungsten Mine in Gangwon Province, South Korea.
This development marks the resumption of production after a hiatus of more than three decades.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The processing plant, currently operational, is configured to handle nearly 640,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of ore, yielding an estimated 2,300tpa of tungsten concentrate.
The upcoming phase two expansion, due to be operational by 2027, aims to boost the processing capacity to around 1.2 million tonnes of ore each year, effectively doubling the tungsten output to approximately 4,600tpa.
Once operating at full capacity, Sangdong is projected to meet approximately 40% of the tungsten demand outside China.
The Sangdong Mine ceased operations in the early 1990s due to a prolonged downturn in commodity prices.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataAlmonty acquired the site in 2015 and has since invested more than $100m in its redevelopment as a modern underground mining operation with a processing facility.
This redevelopment includes roughly 4km of underground tunnels and a mineral processing facility fitted with semi-autogenous grinding and ball mills provided by Metso, along with the latest operational monitoring systems.
The Sangdong Mine is projected to have a lifespan of more than 45 years, with an average ore grade of approximately 0.51% tungsten trioxide, around three times the global average.
Almonty has developed this project in line with the Equator Principles in South Korea, a strategic ally of the US.
Almonty Industries president and CEO Lewis Black said: “The completion of phase one at the Sangdong Tungsten Mine marks the culmination of more than a decade of investment and development.
“This is a significant milestone in the effort by the US and its allies to diversify supply chains for critical minerals away from China, which currently produces approximately 88% of the world’s tungsten supply.
“With commissioning now complete, our focus turns to optimising throughput and advancing toward full commercial production.”
In December 2025, the company started commercial mining at the Sangdong mine.
