Spruce Pine quartz mine restarts production after Helene hits NC mountains

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SPRUCE PINE, N.C. (WNCN) — As western North Carolina continues its recovery from Helene, some positive news from one of the quartz mines in the community of Spruce Pine.

The mine, which produces a critical component used in the production of computer chips and electronics, is operating again after shutting down due to the storm.

People across the world rely on the small town of Spruce Pine even if they don’t realize it. The area is home to one of the world’s most important supplies of high-quality quartz, which is necessary for many electronics.

“Your phones, your computers, everything that we use,” noted Cristina McCurry.

McCurry grew up in Western North Carolina and her dad worked at one of the mines for decades. She knows how important the industry is.

“With the quartz being mined out of the mountains, they’re able to make it into crucibles and wafers that go into semiconductors, computer chips, electrical cabling,” she explained. “It is an essential need to build things that we use in the modern age.”

Helene caused massive damage to the town of Spruce Pine. Both Sibelco and The Quartz Corp, companies that own mines in the area, announced that their first priority was accounting for all mine employees and later reported that their employees are safe.

But both companies had to stop production due to the storm.

Duke Energy workers described an extensive effort to restore power to the mines.

“We’re having to rebuild a lot of lines, so we’re having to get to the mines, bring our facilities,” said Anderson Merritt, Duke Energy Large Account Manager for Spruce Pine. “They’ve got stuff on their end too that’s in need of repair, but we want to be sure that when they’re ready we’re ready as well.”

Sibelconow says its mine in Spruce Pine is back in operation, announcing that production has restarted and production and shipments are “progressively ramping up to full capacity.”

The Quartz Corp has not announced when production will restart in the Helene-damaged community, but posted on its website, “Coupled with safety stocks of finished products and those that exist at different levels throughout the supply chain, we do not anticipate any critical situation for our downstream industries in the short or medium term.”

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Maggie Newland

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