Frac Sand latest news

• May 2016

  Weir opens safety relief valve facility in Malaysia

  26 May 2016

  Following rocky 2015 financial results owing to deteriorating conditions in oil and gas in North America, Weir is expanding its presence in Asia with the opening of a new facility in Kuala Lumpar.

• US Silica expands sand reserves

  26 May 2016

  The North American silica sand producer has expanded its available reserves by 30m tonnes ore through the purchase of additional land next to its existing Ottawa production site in the state of Illinois, the company's largest facility, which mines fine grain, nearly pure quartz sandstone.

• Third Energy given go-ahead to frack for gas in UK

  24 May 2016

  Third Energy receiving the approval to frack for gas is a step forward for the company to start exploring the shale formation in northern England. It means that the company will need to secure a supply of proppants while it investigates the potential gas resources.

• Proppants outlook remains negative as oil discoveries drop

  10 May 2016

  No respite is expected in proppants sales as exploration activity in the oil industry continues to slow down, with discoveries hitting a 60-year low in 2015.

• Fairmount Santrol reports Q1 loss as proppant volumes and prices fall

  10 May 2016

  Revenue for the frac sand supplier more than halved y-o-y as the oil and gas sector remains challenging for oilfield mineral suppliers. However, on a sequential basis the company increased both revenue and narrowed its net loss as it focused on cost cutting, including another staff reduction of 10%, bringing its total workforce reductions to 40% since 2015. Fairmount believes it is now appropriately staffed to deal with the current difficult market environment.

• Average US rig count drops again in April

  09 May 2016

  US rig count declined once again in April according to the latest figures released by Baker Hughes. A good indication of oilfield activity and resultant oilfield mineral demand, the declining rig count adds another layer of uncertainty to the market after industry participants hoped that the recent strengthening of oil and gas prices might indicate a market revival.

• First Bauxite bets on ceramic proppants despite industry weakness

  03 May 2016

  Some operators remain determined to develop new projects to supply the ceramic proppants market despite the oil and gas rig count has plummeted and prices have dropped.

• Longmont Colorado fracking ban struck down by Supreme Court

  02 May 2016

  The fracking ban in Colorado's city of Longmont was added to the City Charter in 2012 on the basis that city regulations pertaining to oil and gas drilling activity were not stringent enough. However, the ban was challenged by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association at the end of last year and has now been deemed invalid by the Supreme Court.