By Garfield L. Angus
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Minister of Transport and Mining, Robert Montague is reporting that exploration work being done by Geophysx Jamaica Limited, is showing positive indications.
The company is licensed by the ministry and the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), to explore copper, zinc, gold and other minerals. Geophysx is a mineral exploration group which operates with modern, yet economically, ecologically and sociologically sustainable techniques.
The minister, who was addressing a press conference to update the country on the next phase of surveys by the company, said the work has shown that “there is something else”.
“We are moving to confirmation and it will expand employment for our people, and we will earn foreign exchange for the country. There are exciting times ahead for mining, once we complete phase three of the Geophysx,” minister Montague added that he is anticipating that there will be some commercial finds, and based on “the results that we have in hand, we are very hopeful that we are going to find some things. We are going to push this and ensure that the environmental standards are maintained and kept”, he said.
In the earlier phases of the surveys, Geophysx presented data to the National Water Commission (NWC) showing maps that indicate the precise locations of where significant volumes of water are being held underground.
Montague also reported that since the start of 2021, Jamaica has produced over 200,000 tonnes of exportable, and high-quality limestones, 10,000 tonnes of limestone sand, and 10,000 aggregates, noting that the mineral sector is “very active” and “stood up” to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in its performance.