Logo of the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries

Quarrying

At present in Trinidad there are 69 active quarries (both public and private), where thirty one (31) are sand and gravel quarries. Forty percent of these quarries are located on state lands. In Tobago the primary material quarried is andesite. The demand for construction aggregates increased considerably from fifteen (15) million cubic yards in 2006 to twenty (20) million cubic yards in 2007 to satisfy the heightened activity in the construction sector. This has led to an upsurge in quarrying activity, which has adversely affected the forests, wild life sanctuaries, water courses and communities.

 

The Role of the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries

One of the aims of the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries is to modernize the quarry industry. At present there are nine separate pieces of legislation to regulate and manage the quarrying industry. Responsibility for the regulation and control of the various aspects of quarrying resides with different government agencies. The functions of the Ministry include the following:

  • Allocation of quarry lands to adequately meet the industry demand for aggregate
  • Formulation of policy for the quarry industry
  • Awards for the exploration, winning, processing, import and export of quarry resources
  • Assessment and collection of fees, rents and royalties
  • Conduct of geological and geophysical surveys to locate resource deposits
  • Preparation and dissemination of reports, maps and other data
  • Enforcement of rehabilitation of State Lands
  • Regulation of the importation, use, storage and disposal of explosives
  • Conduct of annual audits of licensees to verify royalties and other fees
  • Termination of illegal quarrying activities

 

Areas of responsibility

  • Exploration Planning and Development
    • Resource Evaluation
    • Identification and Evaluation of Resources
    • Award of quarry licences
                 
  • Monitoring of Operations
    • Compliance with Laws and Regulations

 

Ministry Initiatives to Effect Change

The following are some of the Ministry's ongoing and future projects, which are expected to aid in the modernization of the Quarry Industry:

  • Resource evaluation exercise and Invitation to Bid (ITB) for quarry lands
  • Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) project, for the establishment of mining zones
  • Quarry Design and Rehabilitation Seminar
  • GPS field Exercise to indentify Illegal Quarry Sites 
  • The establishment of a Statutory Quarries Authority and Geological Survey