Frac Sand Weekly News Digest

Nick Cook, Editor

Issue #258 | February 12, 2020

The Petroleum Connection is pleased to announce that HCR and OnCore Processing as the Networking Reception sponsors at the recently-announced Mobile-Mini Frac Sand Mine Forum.  There is a lot of interest in this new event, so keep an eye out for more speaker and sponsorship announcements coming soon!  Enjoy’s today’s newsletter and have a great rest of the week!

This Week's News

U.S. Mine Production Increasing, Estimated Value of $86.3 Billion in Minerals

The U.S. Geological Survey announced today that U.S. mines produced approximately $86.3 billion in minerals in 2019 –- more than $2 billion higher than revised 2018 production totals...

A Big Fade In Local Sand Mine Activity Late Last Year Set Up A Tighter 2020 Frac Sand Market

With fewer greenfield projects actively under construction now than at any time in the past three years, we believe that nameplate capacity activations at large-scale fixed local frac sand plants are...

Athabasca Minerals Inc. Announces Strategic In-Basin Sand Supply Offtake Agreement with Shell Canada Energy

Athabasca Minerals Inc. is pleased to announce that AMI Silica Inc. a wholly-owned subsidiary of AMI, has secured an anchor offtake agreement with Shell Canada Energy for its Duvernay Frac Sand...

Green Light On Bakken Local Sand Project

In a meeting on Wednesday morning, county officials approved the latest…

The Petroleum Connection Announces the Launch of the Mobile-Mini Frac Sand Mine Forum

During the sold-out 5th Annual Frac Sand Industry Update, The Petroleum Connection announced that it will be holding the Mobile-Mini Frac Sand Mine Forum at The Petroleum Club of Houston on...

Best Sand Expands

For more than 80 years, Best Sand Corporation has been mining high-quality silica sand from its 450-acre pit between Bass Lake and Ravenna roads in Munson Township. With only enough...

Company behind proposed Manitoba frack sand mine says project delayed by 'terrible market.'

A controversial Manitoba development that would extract silica sand for use in major fracking operations has been delayed after costs became too high. The company behind the proposed massive frack sand...

Delay for sand mine project in Manitoba has some celebrating

Members of a peace camp opposing the development of a silica sand mine project in Manitoba are celebrating a “small victory” after the company in charge of the project announced it has...

U.S. Silica Adjusts Quarterly Dividend to Align with Capital Allocation Strategy

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. today announced that its Board of Directors has elected to reduce the Company's quarterly cash dividend to $0.02 per common share from the current quarterly cash dividend...

Mobile-Mini Mine Opportunities

Over the past few weeks we have received several inquiries regarding mobile or mini frac sand mine opportunities.  From land deals to equipment design to procurement, there is a lot of interest...

State intends to reject Pattison Sand Company’s request to sell 2 billion gallons of Iowa water to drought-stricken West

The state intends to reject a northeast Iowa company's request to sell 2 billion gallons of water from the state's Jordan aquifer to drought-stricken communities in the West, saying it would have "a negative...

Eagle Materials Announces Selection of Chairman and CEO for Independent Companies after Spin-off

The Eagle Materials Inc. Board of Directors approved a plan in 2019 to separate its Heavy and Light Materials businesses into independent, publicly-traded companies by means of a tax-free spin-off...

Mineral sands markets braced for slowdown after China virus outbreak

Trading in the mineral sands markets was expected to slow down over the near term while information about the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak and its effects on trade were being digested by dealers...

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Texas Railroad Commission Announces New Surface Mining Director – an old friend!

It was nice to see that the Texas Railroad Commission has hired Brent Elliott as the new Director of the agency’s Surface Mining & Reclamation Division. During his time at the University of...

An Eagle Ford Leading Indicator Surged In January – Positive For 2020 Frac Activity In South Texas

A look at a leading indicator in a key southwest market is the subject of this weekly rig count data spotlight..

Oil from federal lands tops 1B barrels as Trump eases rules

Oil production from U.S. managed lands and waters topped a record 1 billion barrels last year, federal officials said Tuesday, as technological advances helped drive development in new areas and the...

Officials: North Dakota oil output may peak within 5 years

North Dakota’s oil production may peak within five years as companies finish drilling the most prolific portions of the state’s oil patch, state and industry officials told lawmakers Tuesday. Mineral...

Are fewer railroad freight cars on the horizon?

Railroad freight growth might require fewer cars ahead. True or false? As quarterly financial results were results by the Class 1 railroads, the expectation set by the individual railroads was that returning...

A case for the 'hope for the best' contingent: rail equipment market commentary

"Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst." That was basically the theme of my 2020 Outlook column a couple months ago. In that piece, I focused on the “prepare for the worst” side of the rail...

Liberty Oilfield deploys new frac fleet, plans new build

U.S. shale fracking services provider Liberty Oilfield Services activated its 24th hydraulic fleet in January and plans to build an additional fleet, the company said on Thursday...

Liberty Oilfield’s Tech Tuesday Video on Proppant Testing

Since 2013, Liberty has been collecting and testing samples of proppant from every single pad we have fracked. This is done to ensure our customers are receiving the proper quality of sand for each job...

NOV finishes year of losses $6.1 billion in the red

Houston oilfield service company National Oilwell Varco finished up a year of losses $6.1 billion in the red. The company reported closing 2019 with a $6.1 billion loss, a dramatic drop from...

TechnipFMC braces Wall Street for $2.4 billion write down in fourth quarter

Global oilfield service giant TechnipFMC on Monday warned Wall Street to brace for a $2.4 billion hit to the value of the company's assets when it releases its fourth-quarter and 2019 reports...

Registration is open for the Mobile-Mini Frac Sand Mine Forum

Don't miss the first event ever held focused on mobile and mini frac sand mines and equipment. This concept has the potential to disrupt the frac sand supply chain and...

Explorers Podcast: What is silica sand? And what’s the investment potential for the quiet commodity?

Stockhead’s ‘Garimpeiro’ columnist Barry FitzGerald is back in the studio for another installment of The Explorers Podcast. In this episode Barry chats all things silica sands with Bruce...

Dangerous dust blows into cabs of commuter rail locomotives

A product used to increase safety on the rails is posing a possibly serious health threat to commuter rail employees, with some workers saying they don't feel safe on board the trains. Some...

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