‘Regulatory commission closed 211 quarries in 2018’

AMMAN — President of the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission Council Farouq Hiyari on Saturday said that the commission had issued 2,147 licences for exporting raw metals to 39 countries in 2018, according to a commission statement.

In the statement, Hiyari reviewed the commission’s 2018 achievements in the field of natural resources, saying that it issued 235 licences for quarry operations, five for explorations and four for mining, in addition to a plan for readjusting previously-granted mining rights in accordance with applicable legislation. 

He also said that the commission’s personnel inspected 916 sites and terminated seven mining licences, closed 211 quarries, warned another 114 to rectify their violations and checked 185 samples of sand to ensure the products’ quality.

The president added that the commission also inspected a power-generating project which burns oil shale, underscoring the regulatory role of the commission in lowering mining violations from 645 in 2015 to 353 in 2018. 

He also said that the commission had prepared a new law for natural resources, which went into effect in 2018, in addition to granting temporary permits for utilising stone resources and agricultural lands.

The commission has also prepared a new standard mining licence for exploring and utilising oil shale.