Covia, a provider of mineral-based and material solutions for the Industrial and Energy markets, announced that mining operations at its facility in Gore, Va., will be idled indefinitely in the first quarter of 2024.
The Gore facility has been in operation for more than 80 years under several owners, including Virginia Glass, Unimin and Covia. As part of Covia’s industrial performance materials business, Gore’s recent product portfolio focused on the glass and construction end markets, such as Glassil high-purity glass sand and Granusil high-performance industrial silica.
Due to intensifying capital needs of the plant and the company’s strategic investment focus, Covia will idle mining operations at Gore to optimize the company’s production footprint, supporting more sustainable operations. The mine will be idled indefinitely on or before Feb. 29, 2024, and orders accepted through Dec. 15, 2023.
“This action will enable us to provide more value to our customers and our business by reallocating capital and resources,” said Barry Esposito, executive vice president for industrial performance materials, U.S. and Canada. “We owe it to all our stakeholders to focus our efforts on strong, healthy operations that will thrive with evolving economic conditions.”
The company is working closely with affected customers and employees to support them through the transition.