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Sibelco, one of the companies mining high-purity quartz in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, has resumed operations. In an update on Thursday, the company said that production and shipments of the quartz, which is crucial to the chipmaking process, are “progressively ramping up to full capacity.”
After Hurricane Helene caused devastating floods, mudslides, and power outages in parts of North Carolina, Sibelco announced that it had paused its operations. Earlier this month, the company confirmed it only incurred “minor” damage and that all of its employees were accounted for.
Spruce Pine has the only naturally occurring quartz in the world that’s pure enough to use as a crucible during the chip manufacturing process. In the past, some experts warned that any disruption to Spruce Pine quartz mining operations could have massive impacts on the supply chain for the chips that go into phones, computers, solar panels, and other devices.
The Quartz Corp, which also mines high-purity quartz in Spruce Pine, paused operations on September 26th. Despite this, it said it didn’t expect any “critical situation” for industries using the quartz due to existing stock and finished products throughout the supply chain.
“While the road to full recovery for our communities will be long, restarting our operations and resuming shipments to customers are important contributors to rebuilding the local economy,” Sibelco CEO Hilmar Rode said in the press release.
