Lydford Mining Co.
Lydford Mining Co. is making big plans to expand its limestone export business in keeping with the Jamaican government’s policy of increasing mineral exports from the island. The St. Ann, Jamaica-based company mines several thousand tonnes of limestone annually together with its derivatives and targets 1 million tonnes of yearly production within four years.
The company has been given approval from Jamaica Bauxite Mining Company to develop and expand its deep-water pier at Ocho Rios to load at 2,500 tonnes per hour, loading bulk carriers of 50,000 tonne capacity.
The initial investment will be $6 million U.S. commencing in 2012 and expanding over the next four years to $14 million U.S. The project involves refurbishing the port facilities, an overland conveyor and installing new equipment to take care of increased volumes.
The project – which also includes upgrading the pier’s ship loading and other facilities – would allow a turnaround time of 24 to 36 hours to load 50,000-tonne carriers. Once finished, the pier is expected to provide employment for an estimated 250 people in mining, crushing, milling, trucking and port operation in St. Ann. “The program will give bulk carriers easier access in and out of the port and give us the opportunity to increase our shipment of limestone to the United States and South America,” the company says.
An International Reach
The versatile limestone products mined and processed by Lydford have a wide range of uses. The mineral – which can be processed as ground calcium carbonate – is used as filler for plastics, PVC pipes, fertilizers, animal feeds, paints, industrial cleansers and scouring powders. The demand for limestone is growing for use in food and pharmaceutical applications including antacids, livestock feed, vitamins and chewing gum, founder and part-owner Leo Cousins says.
Lydford Mining provides limestone to customers in the United States, Caribbean and South America. Limestone is used in the desulphurization of coal-fired power plants and in the plastics and paint industries. Lydford Mining also provides high purity limestone is provided with lead content at 150 parts per billion for customers in the food and drug industries.
Lydford Mining has been operating for 17 years, Cousins says. Cousins, a mechanical engineer, founded the company with geologist and chemist Vincent Hill in 1991.
Other Ventures
Lydford Mining in 2009 formed a joint venture with Jamaica Producers Group, a publicly traded agricultural and food production company in its diversification program. The venture, Four Rivers Mining Co. Ltd., mines and processes igneous-based rock used widely in construction, concrete manufacturing and asphalt paving.
The Four Rivers Mining Company invested a total of $3 million to build a new plant on the north coast of Jamaica. Four Rivers Mining Company currently sells island wide to the construction industry, sand, gravel and asphalt paving aggregates with an igneous-based river rock. Four Rivers Mining Company will enter the export market for igneous-based construction material for road building, airport runways and asphalt paving materials in 2012.
Lydford Mining Company continues to seek business opportunities with firms in the United States. “We have several big opportunities coming up in 2012 both locally and in the international marketplace for limestone-based and igneous-based rocks,” Cousins says. EMI