Cornwall on the cusp of major rebirth
- 27 November 2025
Tailwinds behind more than £450 million of new capital investment in critical minerals projects in the Cornwall region are strengthening with the release of the UK Government’s updated Critical Minerals Strategy, which could help “unlock the Cornish Celtic tiger”, according to a local politician.
“We do sit on a unique geology here that could drive jobs and security for decades to come,” said Camborne and Redruth Labour MP Perran Moon after the strategy launch in Cornwall by UK industry minister, Chris McDonald.
The geological endowment includes lithium, tin, tungsten, copper, zinc and other minerals crucial to plans for the UK to meet 10% or more of its industrial demand for critical minerals through domestic production by 2035.
Ola Zawalna, strategic and business development manager with the Cornwall Mining and Geo-Resources Alliance, said Cornwall’s current project pipeline had it well placed to meet “at least 10% of the UK’s future demand for key critical minerals and potentially more as production scales”.
“Hard-rock and geothermal lithium could supply a significant share of future UK battery-grade material, while local tin and tungsten resources can support technology, manufacturing and defence supply chains across the UK and Europe,” she said.
“The UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy sets a clear direction for regions like Cornwall to advance responsible exploration, production and innovation. It also highlights Cornwall as a national centre of strength for minerals such as lithium, tin and tungsten, while identifying gaps – particularly in processing, demonstration facilities and specialist skills – that represent major investment opportunities for the country.”
Cornwall, a region with a rich mineral extraction heritage, has advanced projects capable of producing more than £360 million a year of lithium, tin and tungsten within the next five years, creating at least 800 operational jobs and considerably more indirect employment.
Cornish Lithium, progressing the Trelavour hard-rock lithium and Cross Lanes direct lithium extraction projects, and South Crofty tin-copper-zinc project proponent Cornish Metals, are leading the charge. They will be flagbearers in a significant Cornwall Mining and Geo-Resources Alliance presence at this year’s Resourcing Tomorrow mining conference and exhibition in London from December 2-4.
The Cornwall Pavillion will showcase alliance members, including global mining consulting firms Paterson & Cooke and SLR, Geothermal Engineering, Neo Geo Consulting, Cornwall Resources, Cornish Tin, Cornish Metals and Cornish Lithium. It will complement the presence of the University of Exeter, home of the prestigious Camborne School of Mines, where minister McDonald launched the new UK Critical Minerals Strategy.
“Cornwall’s capability is anchored by more than 100 geo-resources businesses providing expertise across almost the entire mine life cycle, creating one of the most mature and diverse mining ecosystems in the UK,” Zawalna said.
“This industrial base is complemented by world-leading education institutions that train the next generation of mining, geoscience and engineering professionals and deliver essential R&D.
“Combined, these assets position the region to pursue major opportunities, from developing domestic refining and processing capacity – potentially powered by Cornwall’s abundant renewable geothermal energy – to advancing innovative extraction and manufacturing technologies, improving remediation and waste-treatment solutions, and creating testbeds for environmentally responsible approaches across the whole geo-resources value chain.
“Through the Cornwall Mining and Geo-Resources Alliance – guided by our motto, Local Knowledge, Global Expertise – we are working to ensure that the region’s strengths translate into long-term national capability, underpinning clean energy, advanced manufacturing and the UK’s wider economic resilience.”
University of Exeter professor Martin Siegert said at the launch: “At this key juncture for the UK’s critical minerals sector it is great that we can showcase what Cornwall has to offer and the work already underway to create an innovative, sustainable future both here and across the country.”
McDonald said Cornwall, Devon and the whole south-west region of the country had “a huge amount to offer for critical minerals”.
“From the resources alone we’ve got Europe’s biggest lithium deposit in Cornwall and one of the world’s largest tungsten deposits in Devon, along with great expertise and skills,” he said.
“It’s an industry I know will add a lot of value to the local economy but also provide really great opportunities for young people as well.”
The critical minerals sector is already estimated to contribute circa-£1.8 billion to the UK economy and directly support more than 50,000 jobs. More than 50 UK mineral projects include mines and also existing production facilities and recycling projects at various stages of development.
The new Critical Minerals Strategy blueprint outlines financing, infrastructure, permitting, midstream and downstream processing, skills development and service support, and energy initiatives aimed at boosting sustainable mineral and metal production over the next decade and supporting expansion of the UK’s technology-based industries and other industrial sector growth.
“Optimising domestic production of critical minerals will help protect UK supply against global trade and supply chain disruptions,” McDonald said.
“It is key that the UK makes the most of its mineral deposits while cultivating our midstream processing and recycling to help enable a circular economy and reduce the impact of external shocks.”
Cornish Lithium CEO Jamie Airnes said the Critical Minerals Strategy provided a “clear strategic framework within which industrial-scale UK critical minerals production can become a reality”.
“The strategy highlights the need to accelerate domestic capability, unlock investment and build strategic partnerships, all of which are essential to delivering lithium production at scale,” he said.
"Securing a domestic supply of critical minerals, including lithium, will create high-quality jobs, deliver supply chain resilience and support key manufacturing sectors across the UK.”
Cornish Metals CEO Don Turvery said when recently releasing the preliminary economic assessment for the company’s proposed £198 million reopening of the South Crofty tin mine the “flagship project within the UK Government's Critical Minerals Strategy” had benefited from direct investment and strong strategic support from the government, alongside backing from industry partners in the critical minerals space.
“South Crofty was the last mine in the region to close and we are proud to be on the cusp of making it the first to re-open, producing tin, a critical mineral that is essential to the green economy,” Turvery said.
“We look forward to restarting production and bringing significant value to Cornwall, including the creation of more than 300 direct jobs and a further 1000 indirect jobs.
“The detailed project human resources plan envisages the establishment of an on-site training centre to harness and upskill local talent in preparation for developing and operating the mine.”
