Workers drill cores in the South Crofty mine near Redruth, Cornwall, U.K., on June 6
Photographer: Tom Skipp/BloombergUK Needs to Revive Rich Mining Past to Counter China’s Minerals Grip
Cornwall in England has a rich mining history. Its revival could play a key role in Britain’s shift to clean energy, but companies want more government support.
When work began at the South Crofty tin mine in Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne, the first English settlement in America had only just been established, and the world’s trade with the Far East was controlled by Portugal. It shut in 1998 after more than four centuries of continuous operation, a victim of sinking prices.
Now, South Crofty is part of a wave of mining activity across England’s southwestern tip aiming to resuscitate an industry that until recently looked all-but dead. Tin, copper, tungsten and lithium, along with associated geothermal energy, are the focus of companies trying to capitalize on the surge in demand for the raw materials that are key to the shift to clean energy.