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Jersey has three commercial quarries which each have fewer than 10 years of reserves left, based on current permissions.
The recently published short-term 'bridging’ Island Plan sets out the challenges and options to meet Jersey’s future requirements.
It proposes an end to sand extraction in St. Ouen’s Bay by the end of 2023, leaving just La Gigoulande Quarry in St Peter’s Valley and Ronez Quarry on the north coast to supply the blocks, gravel, asphalt, and other aggregates that the construction industry needs.
That includes sand too, although the Plan says that the two quarries’ supplies will need to be supplemented with treated secondary aggregates from the inert waste processing industry, and some importation through the Harbour.
Although the plan concedes that Jersey will one day run out of extractable minerals, for now, the policy is to stay local and make every effort to lengthen the period of self-sufficiency by recycling more, ring-fencing mineral sites for quarrying and nothing else, and being as efficient in processing as possible.
Express met Mike Osborne, Managing Director of Ronez in Jersey, to find out what this Government policy actually means on the quarry face...
Fitting for a business built on the very rock we stand on, Ronez’s official company number is 41, making it one of the oldest firms in the Island. This year, it celebrates its 150th anniversary in its current guise.
“There has been commercial quarrying on our site in St. John since 1869, and there has been recognised quarrying along the north coast since Neolithic times,” he said.
“It is an industry with an important cultural legacy in both Jersey and Guernsey, which is the idea behind the tagline we use: ‘Part of the Islands’ Foundations’. We have been contributing to the structure of the islands for so long that we thought that those words best-reflected our longevity.
“Of course, the past is important but being a long-term, resource-based industry, the future is even more so.
“I see a great responsibility for securing that, which I’ve often referred to it as our ‘licence to operate’. It is something we take incredibly seriously: it’s not a piece of paper but a mindset.”
Pictured: Mike Osborne, Managing Director of Ronez.
That mindset includes sensitive expansion, promoting biodiversity, helping the Island meet environmental and sustainability targets, and planning for when quarrying is no longer viable in Jersey.
It is a stance that is backed in the bridging Island Plan, which supports an application - submitted by Ronez in 2016 - to take a slice out part of the motocross track to the west of the quarry to add 15-20 years of extraction at current rates.
Sensitive extraction will be even more important if, as the Island Plan suggests, the quarry is included in the enlarged Coastal National Park, which is set to cover almost 30% of the island.
The Coastal National Park would keep the area under the highest level of protection, but it does not mean an automatic moratorium on quarrying.
And quarry is necessary, especially as previous reserve estimates, which were included in the last Island Plan, were slightly optimistic - meaning that the extractable ‘land bank’ left after 10 years of permitted quarrying is less than envisaged.
“Our application is to extend the extremities of our site westwards, which is taking a slice off the motocross track at Sorel and realigning it in a creative way,” said Mr Osborne. “It would mean the track would still exist, but the boundary of the quarry would move marginally into where it is now.
“Geologically, it is the right place to go in terms of the design and the quality of the mineral; it is also within the curtilage of the current landscape.
“At the moment, we have a quarry next to the motocross track. That boundary will move slightly but it will still be a boundary between the two, so nothing changes significantly in terms of the landscape character of the area.
“It is actually quite a modest area in terms of the footprint of the quarry, seen from above, increasing the 18-hectare site by two hectares”.
Pictured: “Our application is to extend the extremities of our site westwards, which is taking a slice off the motocross track at Sorel and realigning it in a creative way."
After that land is quarried, there are other places to extract within the footprint of the site, including under the processing plans. In total, depending on demand, there is about 50 years of quarrying left below Ronez’s base.
"That would outlive all the other mineral sources in the island and then we would be forced to import material. It could be done here [at St. John] because we are below sea level, so the concept of Ronez as a port for the importation of materials is a real one.
“It could be an aggregate port so we should be careful not to make any decisions now that preclude us making that decision in the future. Logically, that leads us to continue to develop the quarry so we have a void below sea level that can be flooded and turned into a port - a larger version of Beaucette Marina in Guernsey.
“We have the infrastructure here, we have the roads and it would avoid large volumes of heavy construction materials being brought through St. Helier.
“In terms of the quarry, it is not appropriate for landfill or water storage so our expectation is that it would be restored to a natural environment.”
Pictured: There is about 50 years of quarrying left below Ronez’s base.
But Mr Osborne believes that, while the island needs to plan for the long term, the short- to medium-term needs be focused on on-island mineral extraction, not least because it is more cost effective and creates significantly less carbon.
“If we assume that our cost of quarrying is not dissimilar to a quarry in England or France, wherever that quarry is, the stone has to be transported to a port, and then shipped, then offloaded, and then transported to a production facility to be made into asphalt or concrete … there are extra costs at every stage.
“We are talking £10 to £15 per tonne more expensive than local production. When you multiply that in the long term, it is several million pounds a year in additional construction costs.
“That has to be balanced with impacts on the environment in Jersey, but my commitment is that those impacts are minimal because of the way we operate.
“In terms of carbon, the fuel used to transport minerals by road and ship has been independently analysed for the States of Guernsey, and the numbers translate to Jersey. In terms of kilograms of Co2 per tonne produced, on-island is 4.4 kg. For imported materials, it is 23.6 kg. It is a significant difference.
“That represents a saving of 36,000 tonnes of Co2 over 10-15 years, so it would be a significant addition of Co2 at a time when we are trying to cut down.”
Ronez is also working hard to make its own operation more sustainable and less carbon emitting.
“We are really trying to push the pace on low-carbon products, conducting our own research and development to offer solutions to the market.
“Believe it or not, we have performed successful trials of a cement-free concrete, which is a conventional concrete mixed with a binder which is a byproduct of the steel industry.
“We have also used pulverised fuel ash from the coal industry - so we’re already using byproducts from two of the most energy intensive processes. Working with our group in the UK, we have even produced a cement-free concrete block. Our group CEO has set a vision of having a low carbon alternative for all of our products.”
Pictured: "In terms of kilograms of Co2 per tonne produced, on-island is 4.4 kg."
Technology is also playing its part in improving efficiency, making sure that Jersey’s mineral assets stretch further. New construction techniques have reduced demand for raw materials and recycling is much more common. Of Jersey’s annual aggregates’ market of around 500,000 tonnes, recycled products account for nearly 40% of that total.
“The amount of recycling in construction is the highest it has ever been, which is something we embrace,” said Mr Osborne. “It has probably led to a decrease in intensification at the quarry, which is compatible with our policy to operate in the Coastal National Park.”
Another benefit of on-island quarrying is the fact that Ronez is a significant employer and taxpayer. About 75% of the crushed rock it quarries is used in ‘value-added products’ such as asphalt, ready-mix concrete and concrete products including blocks, paving and kerbs. The remaining 25% is used in hardcore, fill, pipe bedding, loose aggregates and other elements of construction.
“I am proud of the fact that we make something locally. Ronez has a long history but we never relax because we want to continue to make things better and more efficient. Particularly at the moment, we want to make low-carbon products to meet the Island’s carbon neutrality target, which at the moment lacks detail.
“I accept that some people would prefer it if the quarry wasn’t here - but it is here and we have been part of the Island’s foundations for 150 years.
“We are very conscious of our ‘licence to operate’ and must keep ourselves in a position where we’re respected for what we do because we do it responsibly.”
Ronez Quarry and La Gigoulande Quarry are both identified as being potentially acceptable for extension and the plan safeguards existing and future provision of both of them.
A mineral safeguarding site provision covers Fields J31, J32, adjacent to Ronez Quarry; and Field MY966, adjacent to La Gigoulande Quarry. A planning application for an extension of Ronez Quarry into Fields J31 and J32 has been submitted and is to be determined.
Winnable reserves have been identified in these areas which will secure on-island supply of primary aggregate for the next 20 to 30 years. Proposals for extended extraction at Ronez Quarry and La Gigoulande will only be supported where environmental and other impacts can be successfully limited or mitigated.
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