Find Mining expertise in Grenada

Grenada has no mining industry.

Grenada’s main quarry is at Telescope, located in the parish of St Andrew’s, Grenada’s agricultural hub. Basalt, a high-quality durable rock used for high-strength concrete and asphalt road surfaces, is the raw material mined at the site. The operation is run by the state-owned Gravel, Concrete and Emulsion Corporation, along with a smaller gravel mining operation at Mon Rush, St George’s.

Sand has long been mined from beaches in Grenada, but has had adverse effects on the environment and so was banned. However, illegal sand mining continues, usually on a small-scale basis, for construction activities. Prior to 2009, Telescope beach allowed those with permits to remove sand, providing the main source of sand for the island’s construction industry. But beach erosion and habitat destruction in the Telescope vicinity, as well as miles of coastline outside of the mining area, meant that the government had to step in to protect the island’s eastern coastline by banning sand mining.

The current Mitchell government has spoken of allowing sand mining to recommence in some limited locations in order to stimulate the construction industry, as all sand currently has to be imported. In 2013, the Ministry of Works said that sand mining would soon be permitted in at least three locations on mainland Grenada and at another location in Carriacou or Petite Martinique.

Permits for exploratory oil drilling are handled by the Ministry of Finance, Planning, Economic Development, Trade, Energy and Co-operatives. Quarrying comes under the Ministry of Communications, Works, Physical Development, Public Utilities, ICT and Community Development.

Section 2 of the Beach Control Act Chapter 29 Volume 2 of the 1990 Continuous Revised Laws of Grenada bans unlicensed mining of sand, stone, shingle or gravel from beaches.