The Hon. Ros Bates, Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training (Qld); The Hon. Dale Last, Minister for Natural Resources and Mines and Minister for Manufacturing (Qld), Joint Media Release, 11 September 2025
The Crisafulli Government is delivering a fresh start for North Queensland, investing $10 million in Vecco Group’s mine and commercial-scale electrolyte facility to establish Australia’s first vanadium battery supply chain.
Using vanadium sourced from Julia Creek, the Townsville facility will anchor a pit-to-port product manufacturing chain, supplying vanadium flow batteries for global energy storage markets.
The project is expected to support nearly 600 jobs across North and North West Queensland, with early works scheduled for 2026 and operations to commence in early 2028.
Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training, Ros Bates, said the investment demonstrated the Crisafulli Government’s determination to turn Queensland’s mineral abundance into jobs and export opportunities.
“After a decade of decline, in the last ten months, we’ve got on with the job of delivering greater opportunities for Queensland businesses on the world stage,” said Minister Bates.
“Queensland has the resources the world needs, and the Crisafulli Government is making sure those resources deliver jobs, trade, and prosperity for our regions.
“This project proves our opportunity is bigger than just the raw minerals in the ground. Vecco’s partnership with Idemitsu shows global confidence in North Queensland to deliver an end-to-end vanadium battery supply chain. That’s the kind of investment Labor failed to deliver.”
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines and Minister for Manufacturing Dale Last said after Labor’s chaos sent investment off a cliff, confidence is now returning to Queensland’s resources sector.
“The Crisafulli Government is delivering practical measures to unlock the full potential of our resources and manufacturing sectors, because we’re serious about growing the industries that underpin Queensland’s prosperity,” Minister Last said.
“This investment forms part of our strategy to link international investors with Queensland innovation, by backing projects that leverage our strengths and create more jobs for our regions.
“It also leverages the ongoing work of the Resources Cabinet Committee to delivery stability and investment-friendly policies for the sector so that projects can get off the ground faster.”
Vecco Group Managing Director Tom Northcott said the project will position Queensland as a leader in meeting the world’s rapidly growing energy storage demands.
“With the support of our partners, Vecco is uniquely positioned to integrate mining and manufacturing, leveraging our expertise in critical minerals to strengthen the downstream supply chain in Queensland,” Mr Northcott said.
“The transformative Vecco Critical Minerals Project will create hundreds of regional jobs, and we thank the Queensland Government for their confidence and support.”
