Battery manufacturer Graphinex’s Esmeralda Graphite Project has gained Coordinated Project status by the Queensland Government.
The Coordinated Project declaration allows the Coordinator-General to facilitate environmental approvals from the Queensland and federal governments, as well as involve stakeholder and community consultation processes.
Queensland’s Coordinator-General Gerard Coggan says the declaration is a commitment to evaluate Esmeralda’s environmental, social, and economic impacts.
“Our role is to ensure that this project meets the highest standards of environmental stewardship, community engagement, and economic benefit as it progresses through the necessary approvals,” Coggan says.
Esmeralda is a 3.5 million tonne graphite project with the potential to create 233 jobs in North Queensland, including 100 during construction and 133 at peak operational capacity.
The project involves developing a greenfield graphite mine at Croydon in North-West Queensland, as well as a processing plant in Townsville. The plant will help build the state’s critical minerals capabilities in graphite mining and battery anode manufacturing.
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning Jarrod Bleijie says the Coordinated Project declaration underscores the state government’s commitment to provide investment certainty through streamlined resource project approvals.
“De-risking the delivery of projects like this through whole-of-government approval coordination is supporting more Queensland investment and creating more well-paying Queensland resource jobs,” Belijie says.
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last says this is an “exciting” milestone that positions Queensland as a leader in graphite mining and processing.
“With a reported 25 million tonnes of graphite in this region – the third-largest deposit in the world – this project will help build Queensland’s critical minerals capability and strengthen domestic supply chains,” Last says.
“Investors are looking at jurisdictions that offer certainty, clarity and low sovereign risk, but unfortunately, the former Labor Government trashed Queensland’s reputation with unpredictable anti-mining policies that sent investor confidence off a cliff.
“Those investors now see Queensland under the Crisafulli government ticking every box, delivering stability and investment-friendly policies that create jobs across our state.”
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Queensland Government
