Hicken and Brutus to go into sand mining

Mar 05, 2024 News

Top-Cop, Clifton Hicken and Deputy Commissioner, Calvin Brutus

– get 12 acres of land each for operations

Kaieteur News – Two senior members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, and Deputy Commissioner (ag) Calvin Brutus have each secured 11.7 acres of land for their respective sand mining projects in Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

The project summaries, prepared by geological engineer Robert Bostwick, were officially submitted to the Guyana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last month and have been available for public scrutiny since February 26, 2024. According to the documents, Hicken and Brutus acquired from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) Mining Permit for the purpose of extracting on commercial scale quarry sand. These plans encompass various aspects, including operational procedures, environmental impact mitigation measures and strategies for site reclamation upon project completion.

The primary objective of both projects is to extract quarry sand on a commercial scale, with an anticipated production target of 76,000 tons annually over a period of 10 years. Operations are slated to run five days a week, with a single eight-hour shift.

The decision to embark on these sand mining endeavours is underpinned by the robust demand for silica sand both domestically and globally, the documents stated. Silica sand, renowned for its versatile applications in industries such as construction, glassmaking, and filtration, has seen a steady rise in demand. Market projections indicate continued growth, making investments in sand mining ventures economically viable.

It was stated, “Nowadays, silica sand is being used for well – diversified applications including paving roads, glass making, foundries and coal burning boilers, oil and water filtration, industrial casting, sandblasting…”

Moreover, it was highlighted in the documents that the Ministry of Finance reported that in 2018, there was an increase of 12% in the construction industry and there continues to be a steady increase in the demand for construction material including sand. Based on the current market trends and prices, the market forecast over the next few years is extremely viable for this commodity.

Financial analyses conducted within the current market framework support the feasibility of these projects, with estimated capital costs totaling US$104,000 for the initial setup period and ongoing operating costs projected at US$576,000, the documents stated.

Notably it was stated in the document that mining projects create a ‘boom and bust’ economic cycle for the nearby communities. It was explained that during the construction period, there will be a high demand for labor, goods, and services.

However, this demand is expected to decrease significantly once the project enters its operational phase. As a result, workers and subcontractors sourced from local communities may become economically vulnerable during this transition. Certain areas may experience more significant economic impacts than others, leading to widespread and sudden unemployment, loss of supply contracts, and disruptions to assured sources of income. To this end, it was stated that there is likely to be a decline in the demand for construction workers as the project shifts into the operation phase. The demand for skilled mining workers will however increase. It is expected that the number of skilled mining workers will be less than the number required for the construction phase.

acres, Calvin Brutus, Clifton Hicken, Mining, sand

Latest News