On 26 September, two of the world’s most significant high-purity quartz (HPQ) producers, Sibelco and the Quartz Corporation, suspended their operations in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, in anticipation of the impact of Hurricane Helene.  

In the wake of the hurricane’s destruction, the operations reportedly faced issues with downed infrastructure, road and rail shutdowns, and a lack of mobile service. Sibelco and the Quartz Corporation immediately began working on restarting their facilities and supporting the local community. On 7 October, Sibelco announced a US$1M seed money donation and the establishment of the Sibelco Spruce Pine Foundation to provide long-term support for the Spruce Pine community.  

Sibelco announced the restart of production and shipments on 10 October, with plans to progressively ramp back up to full capacity. However, as of the time of writing, it is still unclear when the Quartz Corporation will resume operations.  

HPQ is essential to the semiconductor and solar supply chains as it is used to produce crucibles that are crucial for the production of silicon wafers. The temporary suspension of operations immediately led to speculation about the potential for a major supply chain disruption to impact producers of wafers for electronic applications. However, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Infineon Technologies, Samsung Electronics, and SK Hynix expected no significant disruptions to their operations due to sufficient inventories.  

This incident has placed an uncomfortable spotlight on a potential supply chain bottleneck that may impact both the solar and electronics industries in the future. Consequently, the event may spur investment in other sources of supply, including synthetic alternatives. However, the purity of quartz from the region remains unrivalled at present, with even Chinese producers importing the material. Furthermore, Sibelco is on track to double HPQ installed capacity at Spruce Pine by 2025 and plans to expand capacity even further by 2027.