Recognising that there is a lack of construction stones in the local market, a Guyanese investor, Lakeram Harridat, has crafted a plan to establish an 11 million USD quarry operation on a section of the left bank of the Essequibo River.

‍

Through his company, Essequibo Quarry, Harridat plans to diversify his existing lumber yard and sawmill operations with a new stone quarry.

‍

“The lack of construction stone – boulders, gabbro etc. is a major problem in Guyana. This is affecting the implementation and execution of critical infrastructural projects – private and governmental,” the businessman said in a project summary which was submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

‍

He went on to say: “The implications of this situation are far reaching and impact negatively on the economic development of the country.”

‍

It is for this reason that Harridat decided to pursue the establishment of a quarry operation, which, he hopes, would satisfy the demand for aggregate and address the current limitations of supply.

‍

His intention is to also capitalise on the potential increase in demand for aggregate from the emerging oil and gas sector and construction industry.

‍

President Dr. Irfaan Ali had encouraged investors to direct resources to this sector since there is room for advancement.

‍

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 programme, massive highways and community roads to be developed will increase our demand three-fold over the next five years.”

‍

The Bank of Guyana reported at the end of June that the mining and quarrying sector expanded by 23.1 percent, which reflected growth in the sub-sectors of petroleum and gas and support services as well as diamond and stone.

‍

Growth in those sectors is expected to be stimulated through widespread public and private investments in infrastructure.

‍

Harridat’s potential operations would add to this output, as the project summary outlines that the quarry will operate five days per week at single shifts of eight hours to produce 260,000 - 300,000 tonnes of granite annually. 

‍

“Typical drill, blast, load and haul cycles will be used. The processing plant at Essequibo Quarry will consist of a three stage crushing and screening system,” the investor said.The processing plant will remain unchanged during the life of mine (LOM).

‍

The proposed project is south of the Sherima Crossing on the left bank of the Essequibo River. The centre of the property is located 21.92 kilometers from the crossing. 

‍

The distance from the Georgetown to Sherima Crossing is 142 kilometers. The area is accessed from Georgetown by asphalt road to Linden and then an unpaved road towards the Sherima Crossing. The project site is also accessed by the Bartica-Potaro Road.

‍

The rock quarried at Essequibo Quarry is dark medium grained, massive gabbro that extends north to south along the property. 

‍

“The fresh rock could be seen on the quarry face up to the 50 feet contour, above which the rock is weathered. The weathered portion is regarded for the purpose of the survey as overburden. No attempt was made to pit the overburden its depth, the 50 feet contour being taken as the top of the fresh rock,” the developer said.

‍

The quarry and processing plant will operate on one eight-hour shift, five days a week. The mine will employ 32 persons, but other personnel will be contracted to complete medical and environmental tasks, and for security purposes. 

‍

The staffing at the quarry will include one site manager, one engineer, one safety professional, four TSU Policemen, one plant foreman, three plant operators, one plant labourer and one scale operator. 

‍

According to the project summary, there will also be one quarry foreman, one blast/drill overseer, two blasters, two drillers, and one haul truck operator, two over road drivers, one loader operator, two mechanics, two plant mechanics and one electrician. 

‍

An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) has been designed to manage and to prevent or mitigate the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed project (Essequibo Quarry) to be conducted. 

‍

The EMP applies specifically and exclusively to those activities conducted within the confines of the mining permit to further delineate and characterise the extent of the stone resources contained within the project area. The plan only covers the first five years of the project and will be updated as needed.

‍

As it is now, the company is seeking to obtain from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) a mining permit to initiate the development of a modern, large-scale quarry to meet the existing and projected demand for aggregate and boulders.