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Nevada tungsten project blocked by NASA land withdrawal
3 Proton Lithium estimates an inferred tungsten resource of 1.78 million tonnes at its Railroad Valley project, but NASA opposition limits exploration across about one-third of its claims.
A newly identified tungsten deposit in Nevada could become the largest in the United States, but a long-standing NASA land withdrawal is preventing exploration across much of 3 Proton Lithium’s Railroad Valley Minerals Project, the Financial Times reported.
3 Proton Lithium said the project hosts an inferred tungsten resource of 1.78 million tonnes, more than five times larger than the next biggest known US deposit if it proves commercially viable. The company estimated the in-situ value at about $152 billion based on current prices, while noting the blocked area has not yet been included in the resource estimate.
NASA opposes mining on about one-third of the company’s claims, saying the flat desert area is used to calibrate satellite instruments and would interfere with a unique site for receiving and verifying satellite signals. The Bureau of Land Management withdrew roughly 17 square miles from mining and exploration in 2023 at NASA’s request, and NASA said its position remains unchanged.
The dispute comes as tungsten prices have surged nearly 600% since early 2025 on demand from aerospace, defence and industrial sectors, alongside tighter supply after Chinese export controls, with China controlling about 80% of global production. The Trump administration has identified critical minerals as a strategic priority and placed Railroad Valley into the FAST-41 federal permitting programme, while analysts cautioned that even with permitting progress, production is at least five years away.