Stefan Mileschin

Tin mines now viable again

Britain's long abandoned tin mines might be reactivated as the global electric car revolution pushes demand for tin.

Cornwall was a big exporter of Tin since the Roman period but everything was abandoned since the 1990s when a collapse in prices for the metal made them unviable.

Now however a rise in demand for tin, along with other metals that can be used in electric vehicles, electronics and renewable energy, has helped create a global deficit and quadruple prices. British officials are supporting reopening of the mines and seeking investment, leading to a mini-rush of mining companies into the area.

New research shows the extent to which mines also contain deposits of lithium which is also a hugely in demand metal.

Government lawmaker Pauline Latham, who heads a parliamentary mining group, getting its paws on the rare metals was vital now that China and the US were headed for a trade war.

He is a little optimistic. There is no guarantee the new mines will produce commercial volumes of metal. Even if they do, Britain is dwarfed by the likes of China, Chile and Australia regarding battery resources.

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