From Past to Present: Reviving the Clogau Gold Mine in North Wales

In this episode, we chat with Mark Austin, who is the COO and Senior Geologist of Alba Minerals Resources, who are a minerals exploration company with a portfolio of projects in the UK and Greenland. Their focus is on unearthing hidden value from previously drilled or mined projects in gold, graphite and ilmenite. Mark discusses Alba Mineral’s journey and in particular the history behind their Clogau Gold Mine, a royal connection, the challenges of bringing an old UK mine into production and the emergence of the UK mining industry. KEY TAKEAWAYS The Clogau Gold Mine has a rich history dating back to 1854, originally starting as a lead mine before transitioning to gold mining. It produced a total of approximately 88,000 ounces of gold over its operational years, with significant production occurring between 1890 and 1910. Alba Minerals Resources recognised the potential for extracting remaining gold from the Clogau mine, which had been left largely undeveloped. Their initial focus was on safety and compliance, addressing the mine's deteriorating conditions before moving on to exploration and production. The company faced environmental challenges, particularly concerning the presence of lesser horseshoe bats in the mine. They implemented measures to protect the bats, including specialised gates and regular surveys, while also ensuring compliance with Natural Resources Wales. Clogau Gold is sought after not only for its quality but also due to its historical significance, including its use in royal wedding rings. This connection contributes to a premium price above the standard market rate for gold. BEST MOMENTS "Alba saw the opportunity of looking at what has been left behind from Clogau... there's always ore left behind, whether it's in pillars or the old timers have missed the extension of a pay chute." "The ore body that has been mined is a quartz vein... the gold mineralization is very nuggety. It's little pods of gold... finding these pods of gold has been the history of Clogau Gold Mine." "Clogau gold can fetch a significant premium... the Queen Mother married the Duke of York with rings made from Clogau gold. That tradition continues today with Prince William and Kate." "Safety was a big factor... a mine 150 years old has degraded over time... making it legally compliant was quite a challenge." VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail:        rob@mining-international.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ X:              https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast  Web:        http://www.mining-international.org This episode is sponsored by Hawcroft, leaders in property risk management since 1992. They offer: Insurance risk surveys recognised as an industry standard Construction risk reviews Asset criticality assessments and more Working across over 600 sites globally, Hawcroft supports mining, processing, smelting, power, refining, ports, and rail operations. For bespoke property risk management services, visit www.hawcroft.com GUEST SOCIALS https://albamineralresources.com/ info@albamineralresources.com 0203 950 0725 https://www.linkedin.com/company/alba-mineral-resources-plc/ https://x.com/AlbaMinerals ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first-world to third-world countries from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.