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Nevada Rand Mining outlines plan to reactivate Victory Tungsten Mine near Gabbs
Summary
Nevada Rand LLC told Nye County commissioners it plans to restart the Victory Tungsten (scheelite) operation north of Gabbs, beginning with a small mill and seeking necessary NDEP water permits; the company requested the county's support while permitting proceeds with state regulators.
Gabbs area, Nev. — Ben Viljian, representing Nevada Rand Mining, briefed the Nye County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 3 about plans to reopen the Victory Tungsten Mine north of Gabbs, describing a phased restart that would begin with a small mill and grow if market and permitting conditions allow.
Project outline and timeline: Viljian said the company is pursuing a Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) water control permit and that state rules require notifying county leaders. He described an initial milling rate of about 20 tons per day as the company’s planned startup, with an eventual potential to scale toward the historical production rate of roughly 100 tons per day.
“We plan to start out milling at about 20 tons a day, very small operation,” Viljian said. He added that historically the mine produced run‑of‑mill scheelite and that the planned product will be a 60‑to‑70% scheelite concentrate to be sold to a customer in Fallon.
Economic and regional context: Viljian told commissioners the Victory Mine historically was Nye County’s largest scheelite (tungsten ore) producer and that demand for tungsten is expected to remain strong for defense and industrial supply chains. He said the firm expects the operation to be regionally important and that, if the mill reaches higher throughput, it could accept custom ore from other nearby mines.
County response and next steps: Commissioners thanked the presenter and asked clarifying questions about on‑site milling and local tax consequences; Viljian said the mill would be on his site under current permits, though he is exploring alternate parcels more suited to milling. He asked the county for a letter of support while permitting proceeds with state regulators.
Environmental and permitting issues: Viljian acknowledged NDEP review and the need for water‑control permits; those state approvals will determine whether and under what conditions the operation can proceed. No county permits or votes were requested at the meeting.
Ending: The presentation was informational. The board did not take formal action but allowed public comment and encouraged continued engagement on permitting and community impacts as state agencies consider NDEP permitting and any federal agency input.
