The Queensland Government has declared the Sugarbag Hill Ultra-High Purity Quartz Sand Project a prescribed project to fast-track its delivery.
Ultra High-Purity Quartz’s Sugarbag Hill is a $515 million project, expected to support 600 jobs during construction and 140 ongoing jobs once operational, delivering economic benefits for regional Queensland.
CEO Stuart Jones says the declaration provides certainty for the project as the company is targeting a final investment decision in early 2027 and construction in 2028.
“This declaration allows us to progress project approvals more efficiently and with greater certainty as we move through the detailed Feasibility Study and engineering stage,” Jones says.
“It recognises the importance of establishing a Queensland-based supply of globally scarce ultra-high purity quartz sand, which is critical for solar photovoltaic silicon wafer manufacturing.”
Ultra-high purity is considered an important material, as it is used to make products like semiconductors, specialised glass and equipment needed in advanced manufacturing.
Further processing of the critical material is proposed at the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct south of Townsville, with a pilot facility in Stuart and chemical storage at the Ports of Townsville.
The Queensland Government notes the project allows high-quality quartz sand to be exported through the port.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie says the declaration is an “important” step in progressing the project as well as delivering jobs and investment in North Queensland.
“Queensland is open for business, and we are providing the certainty needed for major projects to plan and progress,” Bleijie says.
“The project will help strengthen Queensland’s critical minerals capability, inject hundreds of millions of dollars worth of investment and create hundreds of jobs in North and Far North Queensland.”
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development Dale Last says with the Queensland Resources Common User Facility and Graphinex’s Battery Anode Hub nearby, the state government is committed to building sovereign capacity right across the sector.
“We’re serious about cutting red tape, driving faster approvals and delivering certainty to investors so they can get on with creating local jobs,” Last says.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Ultra High Purity Quartz
