Hemerdon tungsten mine in Plymouth is set to reopen soon Tungsten West bought the mine for just under £3m in 2019 and now plans are afoot to reopen the site Updated The video will auto-play soon8Cancel Play now Plymouth's tungsten mine could reopen as soon as this year, it has been confirmed. The owners of Drakelands mine, also known as Hemerdon mine, have confirmed they are looking to reopen the site on the outskirts of Plymouth. Back in 2018, it was reported that the huge mine near Sparkwell was in danger of closing down unless management could find a new funding package in just 48 hours.