Trump touts new NC quartz plant, but manufacturer calls it a ‘potential project’
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At a rally in Greenville on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick announced a new manufacturing plant in North Carolina that would provide raw materials for semiconductors.
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Sibelco, the mineral company that Lutnick said was behind the new plant, hasn’t confirmed any details of the federal officials’ announcement. But if such a project is on the horizon, it could bolster a global hub for mining in Western North Carolina, which produces 70% to 90% of the world’s high purity quartz — a key raw material used in semiconductor chips and solar panels.
A Sibelco spokesperson told The News & Observer the company is “aware of recent public comments regarding a potential project involving the company in North Carolina.”
“At this time, we are awaiting the official communication from the U.S. Government and are therefore not in a position to comment or provide information beyond what has been publicly announced through official channels,” the company spokesperson said. “Should further information be announced, Sibelco will share relevant details through its communications channels.”
At Trump’s rally on Tuesday, he said he had “just been informed” by Lutnick of a new project, inviting Lutnick up onstage.
Lutnick shared very limited details on the project.
“We’re announcing Sibelco is going to build silicon manufacturing. It’s quartz manufacturing. It is basically the foundation of semiconductors, and they’re going to build it right here in North Carolina. Hundreds of millions of dollars. Big plant, a very big, a very big deal.”
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Spruce Pine, a small town in Western North Carolina, is already home to a sprawling quartz mining district that produces the world’s purest quartz. Sibelco and another company, Quartz Corp., have invested heavily in the area’s mines, and Sibelco was the fourth-largest employer in Mitchell County as of earlier this year.
The company has been expanding its Spruce Pine facilities, and is slated to finish a $500 million expansion in 2027, but it’s unclear if Lutnick’s announcement was referring to a new project or to an expansion that’s already underway.
The economic development commission in Mitchell County also said it was “awaiting the press release from the company with full details.”
Gov. Josh Stein’s office has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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This story was originally published October 21, 2026 at 2:37 PM with the headline “Trump touts new NC quartz plant, but manufacturer calls it a ‘potential project’.”
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