Expression of Interest has now opened for the Queensland Resources Common User Facility (QRCUF) managing contractor, marking a significant milestone in the delivery of the facility.
The QRCUF, which will be located in the Cleveland Bay Industrial Park, will be a purpose-built testing and demonstration facility.
“The delivery of the Queensland Resources Common User Facility reinforces our Government’s ongoing commitment to the critical minerals industry in North Queensland,” Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick said.
Once operational, Treasurer Dick stated that the plant would allow North Queensland to capitalise on its abundant critical minerals and rare earth elements to secure local supply while meeting rising worldwide demand.
“There is already interest from companies in using the facility, and opportunities for jobs, new manufacturing and processing supply chains and investment to North Queensland is expected follow,” the Treasurer noted.
He added that, as a result, the Common User Facility has the potential to play a significant role in implementing the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.
The state-owned mineral processing facility will initially focus on vanadium processing, with the capacity to expand to include processing additional critical minerals such as cobalt and rare earth elements in the future.
According to the Queensland Government, vanadium is in high demand worldwide for various applications, including the development of a dependable and safe renewable energy storage solution that can be employed in large-scale batteries.
The State Government added that the QRCUF’s delivery would hasten the development of commercial mining projects, encourage investment in advanced mineral manufacturing opportunities, and assist supply chain and industry development.
“Queensland and in particular the North West Minerals Province has an abundance of critical minerals like vanadium that the world is demanding as it decarbonises,” Minister for Resources Scott Stewart said.
Minister Stewart stated that the Queensland Resources Common User Facility and the Palaszczuk Government’s investment in Copperstring 2032 would aid in unlocking these deposits and the state’s next resource boom.
“This facility will help resources companies prove up their product and develop new opportunities for vanadium mining in Queensland which will support good jobs in regional Queensland,” Minister Stewart added.
The project’s Managing Contractor will be responsible for hiring the consultants, suppliers, and trade contractors needed to develop and build the QRCUF, and may choose to do some of the work personally.
The QRCUF is scheduled to begin operations in 2025.
The EOI opens today and closes on 15 May 2023. Following the EOI, the State Government will pick a shortlist of responders for a Request for Proposal, which will be issued later in mid-2023.
