Native sand leader Shale Support purchases two natural mines in Louisiana

HOUSTON -- Shale Support, a leading provider of frac-sand and logistical solutions to the oil and gas proppant market, today announced it has closed on a deal purchasing two natural mines in Kinder and Central Louisiana. This expansion adds 2.0 million tons of nameplate capacity to Shale Support, increasing the organization's total capacity to 5.0 million tons annually.

"We've been an 'in-basin' provider of sand since 2014," said Jeffrey B. Bartlam, President and Co-Founder. "Shale Support's geographic proximity to the Haynesville, Austin Chalk and Eagle Ford Shale areas, in addition to our ability to use Norfolk Southern as a single haul carrier to the Northeast, has always allowed us to provide a superior product at a lower price point than our competition. 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."

Kevin Bowen, Co-Founder and CEO, added, "It's been difficult for Shale Support to find acquisition opportunities which maintain the clean, single digit turbidity product quality requirements of our organization. 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."

Shale Support anticipates increasing the two mine's capacity to 3 million tons by the first quarter of 2019, which will give the organization 6 million tons of capacity.

Shale Support mines Delta Pearl from its properties in Picayune, Mississippi. Delta Pearl is the frac sand of choice among operators and third-party suppliers with operations in the Marcellus/Utica, Permian, Eagle Ford and Haynesville/Tuscaloosa shale plays.