Panasqueira
Minas da Panasqueira or Mina da Panasqueira is the generic name for a set of mining operations in Portugal between Cabeço do Pião and the village of Panasqueira, which has operated in a technically integrated and continuous manner practically since the discovery of tin and tungsten ore there. Subsequently, it was agglomerated into a single administrative entity called Couto Mineiro da Panasqueira which had its last demarcation on 9 March 1971 and later on in the present C-18 Mining Concession. The mining facilities are currently centralized in the area of Barroca GrandeAldeia de São Francisco de Assis through which the current underground operation, ore extraction and processing facilities are accessed.
The mine has been operating nearly without interruption since 1901, with a strong impact on the identity, history and current society of Beira Interior in general and Cova da Beira in particular. It is also known worldwide in the tungsten industry, not only for its quality and volume of production, duration and adaptability of operation; but also due to the maturity of the technical solutions both underground and in ore processing.
History
Name origin
is named after the location of the initial mining operation. At the end of the 19th century, the area was covered with gorse, broom bush and several species of low-lying bushes and pines. The stony ground was totally unsuitable for grain cultivation. The population of the neighbouring village of Cebola used the folds in the slopes to make terraces where they planted potatoes, corn or pasture. In this manner, small cultivation areas divided into narrow terraces with some fruit trees and large chestnut trees were created in the three small valleys of Madurrada, Vale Torto, and Panasqueira.In Panasqueira the ore mining work began and the first washing plant was built. The name of this valley derives from panasco, the common name given to various types of grass very common in the region, especially in fields where rye was sown. The population called this new mine Minas da Panasqueira.
Pre-industrial period
There are records of extensive galleries in Vale da Ermida, Fontes Casinhas and Courelas associated with the exploitation of tin, but this period is poorly documented. There are records of alluvial exploitation of tin in the area of São Jorge da Beira, which is attributed to the Roman period.Discovery
At the end of the 19th century, the region was covered with thick heather scrub, broom, arbutus and pine trees, which were used in the production of charcoal for sale in Fundão and Covilhã. One of these charcoal burners, known as "O Pescão de Casegas", found a shiny black stone and took it to Manuel dos Santos, in the parish of Barroca do Zêzere. After visiting the site, dos Santos went to Lisbon and asked Professor of Mineralogy and engineer Silva Pinto to examine the place where the sample had been discovered. On his return, dos Santos bought the land and began to mine for wolfram. The mining was done in an artisanal manner and supplemented by ore that the shepherds picked up elsewhere and sold to dos Santos.When Pinto arrived at the site and saw the abundance of wolframite, he bought all the ore collected and the land from dos Santos, carrying out the first mining registration in the name of Firma Almeida Silva Pinto e Comandita. It was published on 25 November 1898.
The work proceeded on a larger scale with the mining of outcropping veins and a very rudimentary manual washing plant employing almost 100 people. At a later date, the concession was sold to the banker Henrique Burnay, 1st Earl of Burnay. The mine increased in size with the preparation of veins and expansion of surface facilities. In 1901 the concession was leased to an English company for a short period. Subsequently, the first mechanical steam-operated washing machine was assembled. The first galleries date from this time. There are no production records but a shipping record dated 25 November 1909 which indicated 41 tons of wolfram concentrates; a notable amount for a mine of the time.
1911–1928: Wolfram Mining and Smelting
On 15 July 1911, a sale deed to the Wolfram Mining and Smelting Company Limited for 11 concessions and 125 ha of land was signed. The company's tenure was a time of great development with the opening of many galleries, expansion and modernization of the washing plants, and installation of a 5.1 km long aerial cable. The statements of 1912 are representative of a typical year of that time and indicate an annual production of 277 t of concentrates with 65% WO3, 1,078 m of galleries and a total of 244 workers. With the beginning of the First World War and the consequent increase in the price of wolfram, there was an increase in concentrate production which stabilized during this period at a value close to 30 t per month. The number of direct employees of the company stood at 800, plus around 200 self-employed workers.At the end of the First World War there was a drop in prices, production was paralysed, leaving the workforce reduced to 100 workers employed in accessory jobs. From 1920 to 1923 there was a period of intense mining, followed by a near stoppage in 1923, reactivation in 1924 and near complete paralysation in 1926. At this time tin mining began, first in Fontes Casinhas and later elsewhere.
1928–1973: Beralt Tin and Wolfram Limited
In 1928 with the entry of new shareholders, the name was changed and important work began, such as a new aerial cableway and a large washing plant in Rio. Production returned to values close to 30 t of concentrate per month, until another production stoppage period from 1931 to 1934. At this time a tin smelting furnace was installed in Rio.In 1934 there was an increase in wolfram prices and consequent growth of the activity in the three main mining areas of the concession. This cycle associated with the Second World War was notable with 750 workers in 1934; 4,457 in 1942 and 10,540 workers in 1943. The plant at Rio reached a capacity of 300 t per day and that of Panasqueira 1,000 t per day. The monthly production of concentrates reached 300 t at that time, more than the rest of the country combined. At that time the underground connection from Barroca Grande to Panasqueira took place. During the Second World War, Panasqueira was the largest mine in the country and one of the largest wolfram mines in the world. The price of wolfram dropped dramatically at the end of the war, only rising again in 1950 due to the Korean War. During this period there was a great modernization of the company with the introduction of scrapers and mechanical loaders. Mules were replaced by locomotives. Cassiterite production was increased to compensate for low wolfram prices. The production of copper concentrates began in 1962.
From 1957 to 1965 there was a further decrease in the price of wolfram which resulted in a reduction of production in order to control costs. In 1966, a positive price trend began that peaked in 1970 with a corresponding period of expansion. However, soon afterwards prices suddenly dropped again. During this period the production was stockpiled rather than sold below production price, but due to financial expenses it was decided to increase capital with the entry of new shareholders.
1973–1990: Beralt Tin and Wolfram Portugal
The company adopted a new name in 1973 with the acquisition of 20% of its capital by BNU. In 1974 when the price became more favorable the stockpile at the mine was sold. From 1974 onwards, there was a considerable increase in labour costs which accelerated of the mechanization of underground operations. During the 1970s various alternatives for deepening the mine were studied, and level 2 was opened and extraction was carried out through an inclined shaft that began operation in 1982. From 1983 the price began to fall again and Charter Consolidated, holder of 80% of the shares, sold its stake to Minorco in 1990.1990–1993: Minorco
In 1993, due to several years of low wolfram prices, Minorco asked the General Directorate of Mines to close the mine, having submitted a request for authorization to sell the washing plant as scrap metal and to disconnect the sewage on level 3. Due to the reply from the General Directorate of Mines that the requested actions could only take place after establishing the conditions for closing the mine, Minorco decided to sell the company to Avocet Mining.1993–2004: Avocet Mining
Major changes took place during the initial period of Avocet, namely the reopening of the mine in January 1994, the transfer of the washing plant from Rio to Barroca Grande, the continuation of the opening of level 3 and the construction of an extraction shaft between levels 2 and 3, which began operating in 1998.The final period of Avocet's management was of major economical difficulty due to the extremely low and persistent wolfram prices with a degradation of the mine's production capacity which, coupled with the termination on 31 December 2003 of contracts with customers that guaranteed the sale of production at a price above the market value, led the company to notify the General Directorate of Mines of its intention to close the mine as of 1 January 2004. Following negotiations, and based on well-founded expectations that within six months there would be an increase in prices, the State guaranteed the payment of workers' wages between March and August 2004 through the Wage Guarantee Fund, which created conditions for the recovery and acquisition of the mine by Almonty.