A billion-dollar critical minerals project in North Queensland will have approvals expedited after gaining coordinated-project status.
Deputy Premier and State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Minister Jarrod Bleijie said the declaration allowed the Queensland Coordinator-General to facilitate environmental approvals for QEM Limited’s proposed $1.096 billion Julia Creek Vanadium and Energy Project.
Minister Bleijie said the project involved a greenfield vanadium and oil shale mine along with processing facilities approximately 16 km southeast of Julia Creek, in the state’s north-west.
He said it aimed to produce 10,571 tonnes per annum of high-purity vanadium pentoxide and 313 million litres per annum of transport fuel such as diesel and aviation fuel, over a 30-year mine life.
“QEM Limited proposes to refine high-purity vanadium pentoxide on-site and then transport it to Townsville for downstream domestic processing into vanadium electrolyte, which is a key component in the manufacture of vanadium flow batteries.”
Minister Bleijie said the project was predicted to create up to 600 jobs over the two-year construction period, and approximately 588 jobs during the mine’s operational phase.
He said QEM Limited expected at least 35 percent of the operational jobs would be residential, based in Julia Creek or nearby towns.
“Pending approvals, construction on the project would begin in early 2028, with the commissioning and operational phase expected to begin in late 2029.
“The declaration allows the Coordinator-General to facilitate environmental approvals from the Queensland and Australian Governments and involve stakeholder and community consultation processes.”
