Essential North Carolina quartz mine is up and working following Hurricane Helene

Sibelco, one of many firms mining high-purity quartz in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, has resumed operations. In an replace on Thursday, the corporate stated that manufacturing and shipments of the quartz, which is essential to the chipmaking course of, are “progressively ramping as much as full capability.”

Spruce Pine has the one naturally occurring quartz on this planet that’s pure sufficient to make use of as a crucible in the course of the chip manufacturing course of. Prior to now, some consultants warned that any disruption to Spruce Pine quartz mining operations may have large impacts on the provision chain for the chips that go into telephones, computer systems, photo voltaic panels, and different gadgets.

The Quartz Corp, which additionally mines high-purity quartz in Spruce Pine, paused operations on September twenty sixth. Regardless of this, it stated it didn’t count on any “crucial scenario” for industries utilizing the quartz on account of current inventory and completed merchandise all through the provision chain.

“Whereas the highway to full restoration for our communities might be lengthy, restarting our operations and resuming shipments to prospects are necessary contributors to rebuilding the native financial system,” Sibelco CEO Hilmar Rode stated within the press launch.