Friday, March 29, 2024

Gladstone site to make way for $300m industrial plant

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Alpha HPA alumina Gladstone
Image: Alpha HPA

Alpha HPA has purchased a 9.2-hectare site in Gladstone, Queensland to develop a $300 million high purity alumina industrial plant.

Alpha HPA has now received approval from the government for the first two stages of its Gladstone hub, which will be built in tandem, bringing jobs to Queensland not only in the delivery stage but once the hub is fully operational.

“Supporting projects like this means more opportunities for secure, high-skilled jobs across Queensland,” said Annastacia Palaszczuk, Premier.

Stage 1, the Precursor Production Facility (PPF) has been fully funded and fast tracked, enabling commercial production of high purity alumina by August 2022.

“We’ve operated a Brisbane demonstration plant since July 2019, and we are confident in the demand for high purity alumina,” said Rimas Kairaitis.

While Stage 2, which comprises the full scale industrial plant project will be commercially operating by 2024.

High purity alumina is a growing market, due to its use in items such as LED lights, lithium-ion batteries, which are used in electric cars, solar battery storage, consumer electronics and synthetic sapphire which is used in the production of watches and smartphone camera glass.

“Gladstone is a world-best location for existing industries with a proven track record of growing successful new industries – like the emerging green energy manufacturing sector,” said Glenn Butcher, minister for regional development and manufacturing, minister for water and member for Gladstone.

“Alpha HPA are joining other global companies, who have also recently chosen Gladstone to establish their manufacturing hubs and create local jobs.”

The purchased site sits within the Queensland Government’s Gladstone State Development Area, where companies such as CleanCo, Sumitomo Corporation, Hydrogen Utility, Stanwell and Iwatani have set up shop.

In addition to Fortescue Future Industries, who last month announced they would be building a $115 million green energy hydrogen manufacturing facility, the world’s largest, in the region.

“Renewables are a massive opportunity to decarbonize industry and bring manufacturing back to Queensland,” said Mick de Brenni, minister for energy, renewables and hydrogen.

The Gladstone area is set to become of a hub for renewable energy and new industry, with the aforementioned companies, bringing hydrogen production to Queensland.

“We are making sure we are grabbing this opportunity with both hands and creating these decent, secure jobs for Queenslanders,” added de Brenni.

Projects in the area will supplement the state government’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan, with Alpha HPA’s project generating 120 new, regional and highly skilled jobs in this emerging and in demand industry.

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