Caribbean Cement gets approval for quarries
CARIBBEAN CEMENT Company Limited received approval to develop a new limestone quarry and also extend its gypsum quarry on lands close to its plant at Rockfort, Kingston. Postings on the website of National Environment and Planning Agency this month indicate that the decision was reached months earlier in April. Caribbean Cement did not respond to queries on the size of the investment or the timeline for the project. NEPA gave approval for the environmental permits for mining and mineral processing for the establishment of a gypsum quarry at Halberstadt and expansion of limestone quarry at Harbour Head, St Andrew. The plan involves more than doubling its gypsum and limestone quarries, which are raw materials used in the making of cement. The increased production at the quarries will allow Caribbean Cement to satisfy its growing cement demand.
The cement maker operates its quarries through subsidiary Jamaica Gypsum & Quarries Limited. The expansion would allow Caribbean Cement to mine raw materials in excess of 20 years. The environmental report on the projects previously indicated that the company’s supply of aggregates was at critical levels, and needed replenishment.
Caribbean Cement wants to extend its Halberstadt Gypsum Quarry from 2 kilometres to 6.7 kilometres; and establish a limestone quarry at Harbour Head spanning 50 acres, which is contiguous to an existing quarry. Halberstadt would process 200,000 tonnes of gypsum per year from 6.7 hectares of land, while Harbour Head aims to produce 800,000 tonnes of limestone per year from 20 hectares of land or 50 acres. The quarries are roughly 8.5 kilometres apart.