$2.4B quarry project on the cards for Koetaru

IN preparation for the anticipated increase in demand for aggregate from the emerging oil and gas sector and construction industry, local quarry developer, Romesh Kishun, has embarked on the establishment of a $2.4 billion quarry project in Koetaru, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

According to the Institute of Quarrying, this activity involves the process of removing rock, sand, gravel, or other minerals from the ground, to use them to produce materials for construction or other purposes.

Quarrying is any such work on the surface of the earth where minerals are extracted. Quarries are also known by other names around the world, such as, surface mine, pit, and open pit, or open-cast mine.

The institute says that materials produced by quarrying are essential to everyday life, as they provide the construction materials needed to build roads and buildings, deliver vital minerals to agriculture, and support the generation of electricity among other things.

The proposed project site, which stretches 4,757 acres of land, is approximately 98.7 kilometers southwest of the capital city of Georgetown, with the closest town being Bartica, some 37.8 kilometers south,

It is expected that the quarry will produce some 25,000 tonnes per month and 1,250 tonnes per day.

The main rock classification in the project area is gabbro. Gabbro is a medium-grained, dark-colored, intrusive igneous rock. It is usually black or dark green and composed mainly of the mineral’s plagioclase and augite.

The fact that the total average percentage components accounted for in the analyses is 99.37 per cent, the stone could be regarded as free of insoluble or organic materials, making it suitable for quarrying.

The total reserve will last for approximately five years of quarrying and production, based on the assumption that the proposed initial quarrying phase produces 1.5 million tonnes of granite stone material.

By deepening the quarry and extending it to the probable reserves in the southeast or to other reserves discovered by the drilling programme, the life of the quarry could be extended.

“It is estimated by C. Blackman 2020, that the Koetaru Quarry has over 7.5 million tonnes: gabbro mineable reserves at a stripping ratio of 0.160:1.
“Mining operations will continue to meet boulder production demands for sea defence works and local aggregate production demands. The quarry will operate five days per week at single shifts of eight hours to produce 300,000 tons of gabbro annually,” the company said.

The multi-billion-dollar investment will employ a minimum of 32 persons inclusive of managers, plant operators, pit maintenance, and engineers.
The project will see housing facilities made from local wood products and aggregate materials. This will occur simultaneously with equipment mobilisation to the site. Local skills and labour will also be used for construction.

According to the project summary, a major point of concern is the environmental impact of the project. So, considering the potential impact, several measures to guard against any eventualities will be implemented.

Major investments in the quarrying sector are ideal, given that President Dr. Irfaan Ali had said that there is room for advancement in this area.

Speaking about the potential for advancement in the local quarrying industry, President Ali had said: “Guyana has a huge quarry potential that has been greatly underdeveloped. Our accelerated housing program, massive highways, and community roads to be developed will increase our demand three-fold over the next five years.”

To maximise local benefits, create jobs, and expand local content through this industry, the government is in the process of issuing new quarrying licenses, to fully satisfy local demand.

Last year, the mining and quarrying sector is estimated to have expanded by 303.7 per cent, and, based on available statistics, this sector is projected to grow by 39.1 per cent in 2021, driven by growth across all industries, namely, oil, gold, bauxite, and other mining and quarrying enterprises.

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