Quartz mine critical to semiconductor industry resumes production after Hurricane Helen

In late September, Hurricane Helen caused floods, mudslides and power outages in parts of North Carolina, and Spruce Pine-based ultrapure quartz manufacturer Sibelco was forced to suspend operations. Today Sibelco announced the resumption of production. Production and supply of quartz, which is critical to semiconductor manufacturing, is “gradually ramping up to full capacity,” the company said.

Image source: usatoday.com

The company previously confirmed that it had suffered only “minor” damage and all its employees had returned to work. “While the road to full recovery will be long for our communities, resuming our operations and supply to customers is an important factor in the recovery of the local economy,” said Sibelco CEO Hilmar Rode.

Quartz mined from the Spruce Pine mines is renowned for its purity, making it critical for the production of silicon smelting containers, precision optics and light guides. Producing pure silicon is possible using crucibles made from less pure quartz, but the process is more expensive and time-consuming.

The Spruce Pine quartz mines are important to the global semiconductor supply chain. In 2008, a fire in the area shut down production and disrupted the supply of ultra-pure quartz to the global market, leading to serious problems in the industry. Stopping production today could have even more serious consequences, since the world needs significantly more chips than in 2008.

Quartz Corp., which also mines high-purity quartz in Spruce Pine, suspended operations on Sept. 26. Despite this, she said she does not expect a “critical situation” for quartz-using industries, thanks to existing quartz stocks and finished products throughout the supply chain.