Canadian Premium Sand Inc. says it has completed its first shipment of Northern White silica sand to a customer’s terminal in Western Canada.

This shipment was sourced from an operating mine in Wisconsin located directly on the Canadian National Railway Company network and results from the company’s efforts to establish sales channels into Western Canada.

“Management has been diligently working on initiatives to increase shareholder value and generate revenue as we continue to refine the development plan for Wanipigow,” Glenn Leroux, president and CEO of CPS, said in a statement.

The company’s Wanipigow flagship project is located approximately 160 kilometre north of Winnipeg, near the community of Seymourville, Hollow Water First Nations and Manigotagan.

While the company remains focused on the development of its Wanipigow sand resource, which includes completing its previously announced ongoing capital optimization review, it is also working towards securing conditional offtake agreements with end-users in Western Canada, supplied from Wisconsin in 2020 and Wanipigow post-2020.

“Delivery of our first shipment marks a significant positive step towards establishing CPS as a frac-sand supplier to our Canadian client base. Achieving this milestone is at the core of the company’s broader strategy of phasing entry into this market and establishing a customer-base for future sales from Wanipigow, when operational.”