Pilkington Re-Opens Uk Sand Mine

Pilkington has re-opened a sand mine in a Scottish village to export up to 100,000/t of sand a year. Lochaline Quartz Sand is a joint venture between Pilkington and Italian mining company Gruppo Minerali Maffei (GMM). Pilkington had previously sourced sand from Egypt and Europe for its UK operations. It has now agreed a 10 year supply contract for low-iron silica sand to produce its Optiwhite low-iron glass for building and solar cell applications, securing the long-term future of the Lochaline mine. The mine had remained dormant since the previous operator closed it at the end of 2008.