Apollo Minerals has strengthened the case for redeveloping France’s historic Salau tungsten mine after a review of historical drilling and underground records identified additional high-grade tungsten mineralisation. The work has outlined a new Veronique-Upper Zone, including a historical intersection of 4.3 metres grading 1.3% WO₃. Earlier results from the wider Veronique area included around 20 metres at 1.4% WO₃, pointing to grades that are notably high for an undeveloped tungsten project. The broader Veronique target is now interpreted to extend more than 400 metres along strike and approximately 600 metres down dip.
Salau’s High-Grade History
Salau operated from 1975 to 1986 and processed approximately 930,000 tonnes of ore grading around 1.5% WO₃. Grades reportedly increased during the later years of production, with parts of the Veronique zone reaching roughly 2.5% WO₃. These historical results are central to Apollo’s strategy. The company is seeking to establish whether the former mine represents the centre of a much larger mineralised system that could support modern exploration and potentially a new development phase.
Europe Needs New Tungsten Supply
Tungsten has become an increasingly important critical raw material for Europe. China dominates global tungsten production and processing, while the metal is essential for hard metals, cutting tools, aerospace, defence and specialist industrial equipment.
Europe’s efforts to reduce dependence on Chinese supply will require more than recycling and alternative imports. New domestic production could also become necessary. France currently has little meaningful primary tungsten production, making Salau one of the few European opportunities with a demonstrated history of high-grade mining.
Modern Drilling Is the Key Test
The next major step will be modern exploration drilling. Historical mine records provide valuable geological information, but any future development will require independently verified drilling, updated resource estimates and modern metallurgical studies. Apollo’s Phase 1 exploration programme is expected to focus significantly on the Veronique system. Confirmation of both grade and continuity could move the project from a historic mine-revival concept toward a modern resource-development story. The old underground workings could provide some advantages because the deposit has already been accessed and mined. However, they also create challenges involving ground stability, water management and rehabilitation.
Permitting Remains Critical
Modern environmental standards are substantially more demanding than those in place when Salau operated. Apollo has also faced previous legal and administrative challenges, meaning any future development will require careful environmental planning and stakeholder engagement.
Nevertheless, the strategic environment is becoming more supportive. Europe is seeking to diversify tungsten supply, while demand from defence, aerospace and advanced manufacturing remains important. High-grade deposits can offer an economic advantage because less material needs to be mined and processed for each tonne of contained tungsten. Salau is therefore emerging as a closely watched European tungsten opportunity. The decisive question is now whether modern drilling can confirm that the expanded Veronique system contains sufficient continuous, high-grade mineralisation to support a commercially viable resource. If that happens, France could once again become home to one of Europe’s strategically important tungsten projects.
