Mark Rust, executive vice president operations of Summit Proppants Inc., announced that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has granted the company a permit that allows it to begin mining sand near Farmington, Mo. The sand will be used by the oil and gas industry as a proppant in hydraulic fracturing operations.
Summit intends to produce washed sand from the Cambrian LaMotte Sandstone, which is the stratigraphic equivalent of the Mount Simon Sandstone mined in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Summit has obtained the rights to mine approximately 70 acres and will build a wet plant on the site.
“We are very excited to be granted this permit and look forward to earning the trust and confidence of the local community and that we intend to be a good corporate citizen by supporting the local economies with jobs and other benefits,” Rust said. He further stated that all mining activities are closely supervised by state and federal agencies to protect the environment and safety of their employees and neighbors.
The sand Summit Proppants will produce is a highly sought after 20/50 mesh size and has impressive crush strength that meets all API and ISO specifications, the company said. Additionally, due to the location of the mine, Summit can provide a lower landed cost when moving their sand into various regions in North America where the sand will be further processed and used by oil and gas companies. Unlike similar sand producers in states further north, Summit will be able to produce sand year-round due to more favorable weather conditions.