Alpine Silica's new plants are just the latest in a boom of frac sand facilities across the state. : A Texas sand miner is planning to open a new plant near the small West Texas town of Van Horn near the state's Permian Basin oil field. Alpine Silica, which operates at least one sand mine in Kermit, plans to break ground on the 3 million-ton a year sand plant in Van Horn in the coming months. The mine, which will take about seven months to complete, will supply sand for hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas extraction, the company said.