The critical materials facility, the first of its kind in Australia, will be built in Townsville, Queensland.

The US$53M facility will be located at Cleveland Bay Industrial Park between the existing Sun Metals zinc refinery and Glencore copper refinery.  There will be an initial focus on vanadium, but with a plan to later process other critical and rare-earth metals needed for energy transition.

Currently, there are limited details about the new project, but it can be seen as positive news for Queensland as it looks to become a newly-revitalised mining hub and leader in energy transition.  It is expected to commence operations by the first half of 2025.

The facility is a key action under the Queensland Resources Industry Development Plan, and supports the delivery of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan and the transformation of Queensland’s energy system to deliver clean, reliable and affordable energy to provide power for generations.