A critical minerals commercialisation hub first promised for Queensland more than two years ago has taken a big step forward, with construction now underway on the first-of-its-kind facility.
Deputy Premier and State Development minister Jarrod Bleijie announced on Thursday that bulk earthworks had begun on the site of the Queensland Resources Common User Facility in Townsville.
Announced by the former Labor government in 2023, the facility is intended as a hub to trial production processes for commercialisation, allowing smaller miners to prove up and scale their products.
The facility will initially focus exclusively on Vanadium, which is found in large-scale batteries destined for grid installations, but is expected to expand to cover other critical minerals like cobalt in time.
Mr Jarrod Bleijie, who accused the former government of leaving the project to “languish for nearly two years”, said the facility will now come online in late 2026 — a year later than first planned.
“Labor’s mismanagement not only stalled the creation of more than 40 new local jobs, but it has also held back the development of Queensland’s resources industry,” he said.
The budget has also reportedly climbed from $10 million to $75 million, although this is down to the scope of the project expanding significantly from the initial proposal.
Mr Bleijie said the Queensland Resources Common User Facility would play an important role in developing Queensland’s critical minerals sectors, prompting its commitment to the project.
“North Queensland’s reserves alone are estimated to be worth $500 billion, and strategically locating this facility in Townsville capitalises on the regional strengths across the North and North West.”
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last added that the facility will put Queensland at the “forefront of resources innovation, and we’ll see advances in manufacturing, defence and research because of it”.
“Commercial mining projects will get off the ground quicker in Queensland, the supply chain will be bolstered, and the industry will grow, especially in the North”, he said.
Queensland is one of the few states building a common user facilities for critical minerals, although Western Australia has also recently secured funding for a feasibility study.
The proposed Critical Minerals Advanced Processing (CMAP) facility would boost Western Australia’s downstream processing potential amid efforts to reduce Australia’s reliance on Chinese critical minerals.
The Western Australia government has already set aside $100 million for the facility, but will rely on the federal government to match the funding commitment for the proposal to be realised.
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