Quarry owners resume operations despite lack of processing licences

Senior Reporter

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The Trinidad and Tobago Aggregate Producers Alliance (TTAPA) says it has decided to reopen its members’ quarries after recent “constructive conversations” with the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, even though no processing licences have yet been issued.

TTAPA president Nigel Tenia confirmed during a press briefing at the Hilton Trinidad Hotel that while members remain without formal licences, dialogue with the ministry has provided a “level of comfort” that allows operations to resume, a move he described as an “olive branch” gesture to ongoing discussions.

“What I can tell you is what has happened,” Tenia said. “The conversations thus far have given us a level of comfort where we feel that we can reopen. There was a lot of hardship that was brought about, not just to our employees, but to truckers and other stakeholders. Prices of aggregate have been rising every day since we’ve been closed.”

The reopening follows a week of industrial protest and uncertainty within the local quarrying sector, after TTAPA members suspended operations, citing fear of arrest and prosecution for operating without valid processing licences.

When pressed on whether members had received written assurances from the ministry, Tenia said the alliance has engaged in both “written and verbal correspondence” with energy officials but declined to disclose further details due to what he described as “the sensitive nature of the ongoing talks”.

“We’ve had written correspondence, and we’ve had some correspondence outside of that,” he said.

“We are at a very sensitive part of the conversation where we see the light at the end of the tunnel. As a matter of reciprocity, this reopening is our olive branch to show that we are coming to the table.”

Tenia said TTAPA represents 24 registered quarry operators, out of approximately 90 to 100 operators nationwide, and that the association intends to widen its membership to assist the ministry in regulating the sector.

“We intend to open our doors to other operators who wish to join TTAPA. We are seeking to help the ministry regulate the industry,” he said.

Pressed on the legality of operating without a licence, Tenia acknowledged the risk but pointed to what he described as inconsistencies in enforcement, saying both the National Quarries Company Limited and Studley Park have continued to operate under similar conditions.

“Operating without a licence is illegal, yes,” he admitted. “But so too the Studley Park, so too National Quarries—and they too operate.”

Tenia further claimed that, based on recent information published and later removed from the Ministry of Energy’s website, neither National Quarries nor Studley Park currently holds valid processing licences for sand and gravel—a claim that raises questions about regulatory parity within the industry.

“Based on the Minerals Act, they are mandated to advertise who has licences and for what type of mineral,” he said. “As early as this week, none of those companies were listed as having licences for processing sand and gravel.”

The TTAPA president emphasised that while the sector continues to operate in a legal grey area, the reopening is being guided by trust in the dialogue process and a shared commitment to regularising operations.

“We cannot prejudice the discussions,” Tenia said. “But what I can tell you is that we feel a level of comfort—and that level of comfort is what has guided our decision to reopen.”

Tenia said TTAPA now awaits formal feedback from the Ministry of Energy regarding the next steps in the licensing process but declined to comment on how the group would respond if enforcement authorities intervene.

“Again, that’s a sensitive question that we have to decline answering at this point in time,” he said. “We have a level of comfort—believe what I say when I say that.”