The Australian Government is granting ‘Major Project Status’ to two ‘nationally significant’ large-scale developments.
Major Project Status recognises the strategic and economic significance of a project to a Future Made in Australia and provides companies with extra support to navigate the regulatory system.
One project is Diatreme Resources’ (ASX:DRX) Northern Silica Project north of Cairns will annually produce 3-5 million tonnes of silica sand over 25 years, supporting 120 construction jobs and 90 ongoing roles.
The high-purity silica sand mining project will supply essential materials for domestic manufacturing of solar panels, silicon wafers and high-end electronics.
Diatreme says the project is favourably positioned for Asian markets, being located 35km north of Hope Vale and 14km west of the Port of Cape Flattery in Far North Queensland.
In April 2024, Diatreme announced a significant upgrade to the estimated mineral resource, including a 17% increase in the indicated category to 120.5 million tonnes and a maiden measured resource of 49.5 million tonnes.
Bonaparte joins ranks
Another to gain Major Project Status is the Bonaparte Carbon Capture and Storage Project, located offshore northwest of Darwin, will support emissions reductions in hard-to-abate sectors such as metal and chemical refining.
The project will potentially enable the development of low-carbon industries in the region, creating 370 construction jobs and 40 ongoing positions.
The Bonaparte CCS assessment joint venture is operated by Inpex (TYO:1605), which is Japan’s largest exploration and production company, also involving TotalEnergies CCS Australia, and Woodside Energy (ASX:WDS).
Bonaparte is the first offshore carbon capture and storage project to receive Major Project Status in Australia. Appraisal works in 2024 confirmed a ‘high-quality’ saline aquifer reservoir suitable for safe and permanent carbon storage in the Bonaparte Basin, 250km offshore Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Inpex considers the project has potential to be one of the largest commercial carbon capture and storage projects in the world, and could substantially contribute to decarbonising northern Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.
The JV is now conducting detailed analysis of the reservoir appraisal data, to support a Declaration of Identified GHG Storage Formation application in advance of obtaining a greenhouse gas injection licence.
On behalf of the JV, Inpex continues engaging with the local community and the Australian and Northern Territory governments to advance the project.
Renewed status
Meanwhile, two existing projects have had their status renewed. Australia-Asia Power Link (SunCable) solar energy project, based in Darwin, is creating more than 1,750 jobs during construction and 350 long-term operational jobs.
This solar energy project in the Northern Territory will at full capacity generate 6GW of renewable electricity – as much as all wind and solar in the national electricity market in 2021.
The government says its clean electricity will support the decarbonisation and green industrial development in Darwin and Southeast Asia.
Over the first 20 years of the 70-year project, the project is set to inject more than $20 billion into the Northern Territory economy. During the construction phase, it will create more than 1,750 direct and indirect jobs, along with more than 350 ongoing direct jobs.
At full capacity, about 6GW of power will be available for both domestic and international markets, providing enough energy to power around 4.2 million homes.
Also getting renewed status, the Broken Hill Cobalt Blue Project (BHCP) will produce battery grade cobalt chemicals and become the first domestic producer of elemental sulphur.
Cobalt Blue (ASX:COB) aims to be one of the first domestic critical minerals refining operations and provide enough product to make batteries for around 375,000 electric vehicles per year.
The Broken Hill project spans a cobalt mine in New South Wales and a refinery in Western Australia. It is poised to produce enough refined material to power batteries for some 375,000 electric vehicles per year.
Images: Cobalt Blue, Diatreme & Inpex
