Energy Minister, Stuart Young, yesterday rejected statements attributed to Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Assemblyman Trevor James, that Port of Spain is holding back the mining licence and blasting permit for the Studley Park Quarry operations in Tobago.
James is the secretary for the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Development.
In a statement on the Ministry of Energy’s Facebook page, Young noted that it is a legal requirement that every quarry must obtain a mining licence before it can legally operate.
He said this law applies to every single quarry operation whether it is carried out in Tobago or Trinidad. The administration of this act is carried out by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries with the mandate of protecting the interests of the people of T&T concerning the extraction of minerals.
Young pointed out that there is a process in law where any entity wishing to conduct quarry operations must apply for a mining licence and this application, which is statutorily determined, is administered by the Minerals Division at the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries.
Young said that when he inquired into the status of the THA’s application for the mining licence for Studley Park, he was informed by the Director of the Mineral’s Division that Studley Park Enterprises Ltd (SPEL) last applied for a mining licence on April 12, 2023. He said the company’s previous mining licence application expired without the company satisfying all statutory requirements for the grant of the Licence.
“Thus far, SPEL has not completed all of the legal and mandatory requirements for the grant of a mining licence,” said Young in the Facebook post.
He said with respect to the audit being conducted to calculate royalties due and owing, this is a legal requirement of the said Minerals Act and Regulations which clearly state that where a mining operator operates on state land, royalties are payable to the state.
“In this regard, SPEL as an occupant of state land to which mineral rights are reserved to the State, is required to pay royalties in respect of all minerals mined. Minerals audits form a vital tool in the checks and balances of the verification system for determining revenues owed to the state. Additionally, no licence to mine or process should be granted until verification of the status of all outstanding royalties owed to the state has been executed.
“This audit exercise which is ongoing has unfortunately been hampered by the lack of records presented by SPEL, but it is expected that the audit will be completed in the upcoming weeks,” said Young.
The Minerals Division staff have advised that contrary to the claims made by Assemblyman Mr James, the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries has done all in its power to streamline the process to aid SPEL’s application process.
The Energy Minister also noted that blasting permits are not issued by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, but by the Commissioner of Police with input from the Blasting Advisory Committee (BAC).
It must be noted that blasting permit renewals are not automatic but must conform to a rigorous series of checks and balances designed with national security and public safety in mind. Additionally, this system is not unique to SPEL but is the procedure that all applicants from T&T must follow.