Shale Support buys two Louisiana sand mines

Shale Support, a Houston-based provider of frac sand and logistical solutions to the oil and gas proppant market, has purchased two sand mines in Kinder and central Louisiana.

The acquisition will add 2 million tons of nameplate capacity to Shale Support, increasing the company's total capacity to 5 million tons annually, company officials said in a press release.

"This expansion allows us to continue our strategy of being the high-quality, low-cost proppant supplier to the Haynesville, Austin Chalk, Marcellus/Utica and Eagle Ford shale plays," said President and Co-Founder Jeffrey Bartlam.

Norfolk Southern Railway serves as the company's rail carrier to the Northeast.

Shale Support anticipates increasing the mines' capacity to 3 million tons by first-quarter 2019.

"These two mines produce a clay-free, white sand that will maintain the stringent product standards of our brand, Delta Pearl, and will be a perfect solution for the huge demand increase that we see coming from increased Austin Chalk activity," said Shale Support Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Bowen.