The federal government has granted major project status to two large-scale renewable energy projects, including one aimed at boosting the supply of a key input for solar panels and semiconductors.
Major project status recognises the strategic significance of projects valued at over $50 million and provides companies with extra support from the Major Projects Facilitation Agency to navigate the regulatory system.
The Northern Silica Project, located north of Cairns in Queensland, aims to produce up to five million tonnes of high-purity silica sand annually over 25 years, creating 90 ongoing jobs in the process. It is the first Queensland project to receive this designation.
Silicon is a key input used in solar panels, which the federal government has identified as a key focus through its Future Made in Australia policy, as it seeks to wean itself from Chinese solar dominance.
The government has also granted major project status to the Northern Territory’s Bonaparte Carbon Capture and Storage Project, which is designed to support emissions reductions in hard-to-abate sectors such as metal and chemical refining.
Two other projects — Sun Cable, one of the world’s biggest solar energy projects in the NT, and Cobalt Blue’s Broken Hill Cobalt Project in New South Wales — have also had their major project status renewed.
Projects typically hold their status for three years, during which time they are expected to complete the necessary approvals process, according to the government’s official guidance for Australian businesses.
Industry, Innovation minister Tim Ayres on Thursday said that by “granting major project status to key renewable energy initiatives, the Australian Government is strengthening its commitments to a cleaner future”.
“Backing in renewable energy projects strengthens and diversifies the local supply chain while directly creating regional job opportunities and attracting further investment,” he said in a statement.
“Granting major project status to these initiatives marks a pivotal step in driving structural economic transformation and regional reindustrialisation, a crucial part of the Albanese Government’s Future Made in Australia strategy.”
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