Gov’t consulting companies to restart operations at Troy Resources, Rusal

The government, through the Ministry of Natural Resources, has been working to restart the operations of Troy Resources and Rusal in Guyana.

The ministry has been consulting local and international companies firstly to explore recommencing operations at Troy Resources in the Karouni Mine, Region Seven.

This is according to the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat during his mid-year press conference on Tuesday at the Guyana Forestry Commission Complex, Kingston, Georgetown.

“I can tell you safely that I met with about three or four groups that are a mixture of Guyanese and international investors that are interested in the Troy Resources area.

Two of them, we have afforded the opportunity to take their technical staff into the area to do their independent assessment of the plant, the mining pit, and some amount of drilling to determine the resources that are there,” the minister disclosed during the media briefing.

He added that two more companies will receive a similar opportunity.

When the process is completed, the companies will have to return with a firm proposal.

Initially, the government had started with putting together a local consortium.

However, Minister Bharrat noted that there is a possibility of having a mixture of local miners and foreign investors, since the operations require massive investment for it to restart.

Additionally, the minister added that 112 small mineral properties have been allocated to small-scale miners within area of Troy Resources. These persons are all Guyanese.

Since the shutdown of the property sometime last year, it has been in the care of the state.

It includes areas such as the living quarters, the administrative section, as well as the processing plant and the mineral pits.

There is also the full-time presence of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

Meanwhile, the ministry is also working to restart operations at Rusal, a Russian-owned bauxite company.

“We are working to restart the operations at Troy Resources, and at some time too, we want to restart the Rusal operation. That is with Rusal or any other investor. We don’t know as yet but we are committed to restarting those two major operations,” Minister Bharrat stated. (DPI)