Quartz Mining Resumes In North Carolina After Hurricane Helene—Here’s How The Storm Impacted The World’s Semiconductor Industry

Topline

Operations at one of two quartz mines in western North Carolina resumed late this week after being shut down for more than two weeks following Hurricane Helene’s dumping of 2 feet of rain on the town of Spruce Pine, washing out roads and cutting power to an area with an industry critical to semiconductor manufacturing across the world.

Key Facts

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Crucial Quote

“It is rare, unheard of almost, for a single site to control the global supply of a crucial material,” Conway wrote in his book “Material World.” “Yet if you want to get high-purity quartz—the kind you need to make those crucibles without which you can’t make silicon wafers—it has to come from Spruce Pine.”

Surprising Fact

In 2008, a fire in Spruce Pine forced a local quartz mine to halt production, which “all but shut off the supply of high-purity quartz to the world market, sending shivers through the industry.” That fire impacted only one plant—the Unimin Corporation Quartz/Feldspar Plant, which has since been acquired by Sibelco—and its impacts were still felt industry wide. Today, demand for semiconductors is much higher than what it was in 2008 as they’re used to power newer technologies like artificial intelligence and 5G connectivity.

Key Background

Hurricane Helene made landfall at around 11:10 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Sept. 26 near the city of Perry in Florida’s Big Bend area as a Category 4. The storm moved through Florida and Georgia before heading north and devastating the areas of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. More than 220 people have been confirmed dead in six Southeastern states since the hurricane hit, and authorities aren’t able to ascertain how many are still missing, though White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall said immediately after the storm it was thought to be more than 600. Almost 50,000 people are still without power in North Carolina, according to PowerOutage.US.

What To Watch For

President Joe Biden flew over the heavily impacted area of Asheville, North Carolina, last week but he did not stop for a visit because damage to the city’s roadways have made it impossible for his motorcade to gain access. Only one of the four highways into the city is currently open, “and we can’t shut it down for a motorcade,” Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer told CNN.

Tangent

Emerging medical devices, computers, transportations and other technologies heavily rely on semiconductors, which can both conduct and block electricity, to provide computing power. The world’s reliance on semiconductors is increasingly growing as more devices—from home appliances to vehicles—are being connected to the internet and those items each rely on semiconductors to process and transmit data. The semiconductor industry is expected to see global sales of $588 billion, according to Deloitte, up 13% over 2023.

Further Reading

ForbesFEMA Blasts Misinformation: Trump’s Campaign To Politicize Hurricane Helene, ExplainedBy Molly BohannonForbesHow Hurricanes Milton And Helene Are Impacting Voter Deadlines In Key Swing States—As Groups Go To CourtBy Alison DurkeeForbes2.5 Million Still Without Power In Florida As Residents Dig Out From Hurricane MiltonBy Mary Whitfill RoeloffsForbesBlake Lively, Ryan Reynolds Announce $1 Million Hurricane Relief Donation: All The Celebrities Who’ve Pitched InBy Mary Whitfill Roeloffs