Frac Sand Mining Boom Helps Boost Wisconsin's Industrial Project Activity to $9 Billion

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Wisconsin is not only experiencing increased industrial project activity in the Power and Metals & Minerals industries, but also for Food & Beverage and Bio-Pharma projects. Industrial Info is tracking 241 active industrial projects totaling more than $9 billion in Wisconsin.

Click on the image at right to view a breakdown of project spending in Wisconsin by industry.

With 21 projects totaling more than $1.8 billion in total investment value, the Metals & Minerals Industry has the second-highest value of projects in the state, after the Power Industry, which has 55 projects totaling $4.3 billion. One of the reasons Metals & Minerals projects have increased in Wisconsin is the growth of spending on frac sand mining projects.

The hydraulic fracturing industry is hot, and demand for frac sand is growing as a result. Wisconsin has significant high-quality frac sand deposits, which has made it the epicenter of the explosion in the development of frac sand mining, processing and transloading facilities in the U.S. Development of frac sand mines in Wisconsin will be challenging, as a number of counties have issued moratoriums on new mine construction, due to concerns over environmental and health hazards that the new mines pose.

Industrial Info is tracking 11 active sand mining projects, and there are several others in the works. For example, Sand Products Corporation (Muskegon, Michigan) could start construction in the first half of next year on a $70 million frac sand mine and processing plant near Whitehall, Wisconsin.

Seneca Foods Corporation (NASDAQ:SENEA) (Janesville, Wisconsin) began construction early this year on a vegetable canning plant expansion.

View Project Report - 300130465 300124821

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and nine international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.