Hemerdon mine accelerates toward full production
Tungsten West Plc is ramping up activity at the Hemerdon tungsten mine near Plympton, Plymouth, with eight haul trucks being assembled as part of a £23 million investment that also includes two front-end loaders and two excavators. The site currently employs 112 staff, half of whom live within five miles of the open-cast pit and 70% within 10 miles, and the company plans to expand to 350 workers by the first quarter of next year. Chief executive Jeff Court said the operation is on track to begin selling product to customers, including Formula One manufacturers, by early 2027, after years of stop-start activity at the site.
The mine, acquired by Tungsten West through a receivership process in 2019 following the collapse of predecessor Wolf Minerals in 2018, is described as the fourth-largest tungsten deposit in the world, with enough material in the ground to support mining for the 40-year life of its permit. Wolf had invested roughly US$300 million before collapsing with financial problems. Tungsten West is initially processing stockpiles left by Wolf and is building a new facility to crush, screen and sort material, while preparing to bring the existing processing plant back online in phases. An open day is being planned so local residents can learn about available roles.
US executive order targets defense tungsten sourcing
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on July 20, 2026 is set to reshape American defense supply chains for critical minerals, with tungsten positioned as a key focus. Executive Order 14415 enforces 10 U.S.C. 4872 by closing the long-used "non-availability" loophole that has allowed defense contractors to source strategic metals from foreign adversaries, with the new rules taking effect on January 1, 2027. Contractors who continue to rely on non-compliant sources will have 45 days from identifying a supply-chain vulnerability to submit a written corrective action plan, with non-compliance potentially triggering contract termination, suspension or prosecution.
The order also instructs the Secretary of War to issue, within 180 days, regulations mandating the qualification of domestic alternative sources. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the United States has had no meaningful commercial tungsten mining since 2015, while China controls the bulk of global extraction and processing. The directive requires defense contractors to trace supply chains down to the raw-material level and prove their sources are secure.
Nevada and Idaho projects attract strategic interest
The policy shift is channeling capital toward Nevada, ranked by the Fraser Institute as a top global mining jurisdiction in 2025. Guardian Metal Resources (NYSE American: GMTL) controls the Pilot Mountain project, where the Desert Scheelite deposit hosts an indicated pit-constrained resource of 8.694 million tonnes grading 0.206% WO₃ and an inferred resource of 1.784 million tonnes at 0.169% WO₃, with additional copper, silver and zinc credits. The U.S. Department of War has backed the project with a $6.2 million grant under Title III of the Defense Production Act to advance a pre-feasibility study, which outlined an after-tax net present value of $660.3 million and an internal rate of return of 59.6% in the base case. Guardian also holds the historic Tempiute tungsten property in Nevada.
North American juniors are also advancing projects under the same strategic logic. American Tungsten Corp (TSXV: TUNG, OTCQB: DEMRF) is advancing the Ima Mine Project in Idaho, a historic underground tungsten past-producing property on private-patented land, with an expanded land position of 113 additional federal claims covering nearly 2,000 acres. Spartan Metals (TSXV: W) has discovered two new tungsten-bearing quartz veins at its Eagle Tungsten-Silver project in Nevada, while Fox Tungsten Ltd. (TSXV: FOXT) is conducting a fully funded 20,000-meter drill program at its Fox Project in British Columbia.
Tungsten prices reach historic highs
Rotterdam ammonium paratungstate (APT) pricing reached US$3,185 per metric tonne unit, representing an increase of roughly 350% year-to-date and approximately 900% over the past twelve months, according to market data cited by industry coverage. The price surge reflects a combination of Chinese export controls, rising defense and aerospace demand, and the broader supply concentration in China, which produces over 80% of the world's tungsten. Defense and aerospace manufacturers including Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, RTX, General Dynamics and Boeing are cited as significant buyers, with tungsten's extreme melting point and hardness making it irreplaceable in armor-piercing ammunition, aerospace structures, cutting tools and high-performance semiconductors. The combination of policy support, supply tightness and price strength has elevated tungsten on critical minerals lists across Western nations, where no operating tungsten mines currently exist in North America outside the Hemerdon project.
Follow-up signals
Tungsten West is targeting first sales from Hemerdon by early 2027 and is planning an open day for local residents and prospective workers. Executive Order 14415 takes effect on January 1, 2027, with the Secretary of War required to issue domestic-sourcing regulations within 180 days of the order's signing, on or around January 2027. Fox Tungsten Ltd. expects its 20,000-meter drill program to form the foundation of an updated resource estimate and a planned preliminary economic assessment in the first half of 2027.
Share this article
