Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub

Advanced and sustainable production of critical materials for the emerging lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle sector.

Queensland Pacific Metals | Townsville, Queensland

Project overview
Queensland Pacific Metals (QPM) is proposing to construct the Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub (TECH) Project, a battery materials refinery which extracts nickel, cobalt and other valuable metals from laterite ore sourced from New Caledonia. The Project will allow for the advanced and sustainable production of critical materials for the emerging nickel cobalt battery and electric vehicle sector. The new refinery is proposed to be constructed within the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct, approximately 40 km south of Townsville. Facilitating the import of ore from New Caledonia is a new intermediate storage facility at the Port of Townsville, where the ore will be cleared by biosecurity prior to transport to Lansdown.
Our involvement
EMM has been engaged as the lead environmental consultant facilitating the necessary baseline collection, impact assessments, modelling and regulatory engagement (across local, State and Commonwealth agencies) to facilitate the planning and environmental approvals of the TECH Project. EMM has prepared necessary planning and environmental reports to support a Development Application for a Material Change of Use, assessed by Townsville City Council and the State Assessment Referral Agency. EMM has also been leading the referral and approvals required from the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. In addition, EMM is preparing the approval documents for the storage facility at the Port of Townsville, and approvals to facilitate a gas pipeline and gas compression facility near Moranbah to link into the existing North Queensland Gas Pipeline, which will provide gas to power the refinery.
Technical solutions
  • Acoustics
  • Air Quality
  • Contamination Assessment and Remediation Management
  • Ecology
  • Geochemistry
  • Groundwater
  • Social Assessment and Performance
  • Soil, Land Resources and Erosion
  • Spatial Solutions
  • Stakeholder and Community Engagement
  • Surface Water
  • Transport Engineering and Planning