Almonty begins commercial mining at Sangdong mine

Executive Summary

• Almonty Industries Inc. has successfully delivered the first truckload of ore to the Run-of-Mine (ROM) pad at its Sangdong tungsten mine in South Korea, marking the transition from early-stage development to active mining operations.
• This milestone serves as the final step before the commencement of commercial production, confirming that the haulage system, equipment coordination, and operator workflows are performing effectively under production-level conditions.
• The event underscores Almonty's strategic role in diversifying the global tungsten supply chain away from China-dominated markets, supporting defense and high-technology sectors in the US, EU, and Korea.

Key Details

• Milestone Achieved: First truckload of ore successfully delivered to the ROM pad at the Sangdong mine.
• Operational Significance: Marks the pivotal transition from early-stage mine development to active mining operations and the final step before commercial production.
• Process Flow: Ore is obtained via controlled blasting in the mine gallery, transported via haulage system to the ROM pad, stockpiled by grade, and then proceeds to primary/secondary crushing, grinding, flotation, drying, and packaging.
• Next Steps: Following stability and performance verification of processing stages, the project will move to a production stabilization phase toward full-scale commercial operation.
• Strategic Context: Sangdong is expected to supply over 80% of global non-China tungsten production at full capacity, addressing supply vulnerabilities for US defense procurement (mandating non-China sourcing after 2027) and reducing Korea's dependence on Chinese imports.
• Long-term Vision: The mine forms the foundation of the "Korean Trinity," an integrated strategic mineral value chain including the upcoming tungsten oxide plant and planned molybdenum deposit, positioning Korea as a global hub for tungsten production and refining.

Notable Quotes

• Lewis Black, President and CEO: "This first ore placement represents a strategic inflection point in advancing Almonty's mission to strengthen the global tungsten supply chain... The resumption of production at the Sangdong mine forms the foundation for securing reliable, non-China tungsten supply to key sectors such as defence, semiconductors, AI hardware, aerospace and other high-technology industries."
• Arif Priyambodo, General Manager of Processing Operations: "The first truckload of ore provides direct confirmation that the ROM pad is ready for operation and that the haulage routes, equipment co-ordination and operator workflows are performing safely and effectively under production-level conditions... This successful verification demonstrates that the technical foundation of the Sangdong mine is now firmly established."