{
  "id": 5169216,
  "title": "Tungsten surge transforms Northcliff’s Sisson economics",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/tungsten-surge-transforms-northcliffs-sisson-economics",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-02T17:18:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mining.com",
    "slug": "mining-com",
    "url": "https://www.mining.com/tungsten-surge-transforms-northcliffs-sisson-economics/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Northcliff Resources' new feasibility study for the Sisson tungsten-molybdenum project in New Brunswick reveals a significant transformation in the project's economics. The updated study estimates a post-tax net present value (NPV) of $6.9 billion (US$4.98 billion) at an 8% discount rate, compared to $418 million in 2013. The study attributes this dramatic shift to increased metal prices, particularly tungsten, and improved exchange rates.\n\nThe 27-year open-pit operation would process 30,000 tonnes per day, producing an average of 598,000 metric tonnage units of tungsten trioxide annually and 4.2 million pounds of molybdenum. With higher-grade material in the first five years, tungsten production could reach an average of 767,000 mtu, equating to 5,980 tonnes of tungsten trioxide and about 4,740 tonnes of tungsten metal annually. This output represents approximately 26% of the current non-Chinese tungsten supply.\n\nChina dominates the global tungsten supply, producing about 79% of the world's tungsten. Sisson's planned output could supply roughly a quarter of current non-Chinese tungsten production. The project received US$15 million from the U.S. Department of Defense and $8.2 million from Ottawa in recent years and has secured major federal and provincial environmental approvals.\n\nTungsten's importance in various industries, including cutting tools, aerospace applications, and military munitions, underscores the strategic value of Sisson's production. The project's economics reflect a strategic shift in the tungsten market, with China recently imposing export controls on selected tungsten products. This move has pushed prices sharply higher outside China, with European tungsten concentrate assessed at US$2,400 to US$2,600 per dry metric tonne in mid-August.",
  "summary": "The open-pit operation would produce 598,000mtu of tungsten trioxide annually, plus 4.2 million lb. of molybdenum.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}