Madrid, September 18, 2026: Tungsten producer Almonty Industries has signed a long-term supply agreement with Wolfram Bergbau und Hütten AG (WBH), a subsidiary of Swedish engineering group Sandvik, to supply tungsten concentrate recovered from existing mine tailings at the Los Santos Mine in western Spain.
The multi-year agreement is structured on a take-or-pay basis and covers a minimum of approximately 1,720 tonnes of contained tungsten trioxide (WO₃). The deal also includes a conditional US$3 million upfront payment linked to the offtake rights.
Tungsten to Be Recovered from Existing Tailings
Rather than relying solely on new mining, Almonty plans to restart processing at Los Santos by retreating the mine’s existing tailings stockpile. The mine, located around 50 kilometres south of Salamanca, has been under planned care and maintenance since February 2020.
Almonty says its testing and trials have improved tungsten recovery from the tailings. The company has reported an approximate 50% WO₃ recovery rate from tailings retreatment, compared with an earlier 35–40% rate.
European Source for Sandvik
For Sandvik’s WBH business, the agreement provides an additional European Union-origin source of tungsten feedstock for its refining and powder-manufacturing operations in Austria. WBH processes tungsten concentrates as well as recycled secondary tungsten materials.
The agreement comes as manufacturers and governments seek to diversify tungsten supply chains. Tungsten is used in hard metals, cutting tools, powder metallurgy and a range of industrial and strategic applications.
Supply Chain Diversification
Almonty described the arrangement as an accelerated route to tungsten supply because it involves material that has already been mined and processed once, potentially allowing production to resume faster than developing a completely new mine.
The company is also pursuing tungsten production at its Sangdong Mine in South Korea and Panasqueira Mine in Portugal. Its broader strategy includes recovering tungsten from existing tailings and other previously mined material.
The Los Santos agreement therefore links mine-waste recovery with the development of a European tungsten supply chain, while giving Almonty a committed customer ahead of the planned restart of processing operations.