There were three long-standing infrastructure issues that needed addressing in North West Queensland said Commerce North West President Emma Harman.
They are roads, rail and water.
Government had set the precedent by investing in Copperstring to connect the east coast grid with producers in the region said Ms Harman.
There had lately been a concerted effort to lobby for more water storage, she said.
“It is really important and I’m glad to see local governments in the region, trying to work together to form a regional alliance to look at water.
“And to manage the water for the region so that everybody can have a fair share and have access to the water they need without running it short.”
South African miner Harmony Gold was investing heavily in developing the Eva copper project north of Cloncurry.
The company was sweating on access to both water and power, Ms Harman said.
“My understanding is that water and energy are two significant hurdles that Harmony are having to face and having to solve and they’re not alone,” she said.
“It (CopperString) needs to be already built, but given that it’s not already built, the faster that they can get it up and going, the better.
“Harmony and others who are that little bit further out of town, one of the more significant costs for them is connecting to the grid, whichever grid that is, whether it’s the existing one or to CopperString.
“The distance that their project is from where the current electric grid is where the costs are.”
Harmony was only one investor in the region looking to the state and federal governments for significant infrastructure investment in the region, Ms Harman said.
“When you are trying to draw a significant amount of electricity like a mine, like a concentrator, like some heavy agricultural industry, when you are talking really big draws, that kind of access to electricity is where you’ve got to look at capacity.
“We’re very, very grateful for that investment by the State Government and others to bring Copperstring to fruition.
“But that on its own is not going to be sufficient. All levels of government need to continue to put their money where their mouth is and continue to invest in the region by upgrading our roads and rail and ensuring adequate supply of water to major proponents.”
It was well established that the road system was below standards and the railway fell short of effectively servicing the region’s miners, Ms Harman said.