News of the Eva copper mine going ahead comes at the perfect time after the rescue of the only third-party copper processing smelter in the country, says Townsville Enterprise chief executive officer Claudia Brumme.
However the announcement has also sparked renewed urgings on the need to push on with the CopperString transmission project in North-West Queensland.
Harmony Gold Mining Company has given the green light for the Eva mine, which is expected to cost $2.3 billion to $2.6 billion to develop and to be in production in 2028.
The final investment decision on Eva, north-west of Cloncurry, comes after the Australian and Queensland governments announced a $600 million rescue package last month to keep Glencore’s Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville refinery running for the next three years.
“Eva copper mine is an energy-intensive, large-scale project, and we will continue working closely with the Crisafulli Government, QIC and Powerlink to build CopperString all the way to Mount Isa,” Ms Brumme said.
“This remains essential to unlocking the full potential of the North West and securing long-term viability for new and existing industries for generations to come.”
Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) leader and Member for Traeger Robbie Katter said the planned Eva development was fantastic news for the region.
“It has to be said that we would have been celebrating this announcement 18 months ago had there been confidence in CopperString being built all the way to Mount Isa,” he said.
He noted that the Eva copper mine would use close to 70MW of power.
“This is a big deal. That’s as much as most of Townsville’s combined household demand,” he said.
“$17 billion of a potential $680 billion worth of minerals, has been given the green light, but it can’t be ignored that we’re operating in an extremely fragile environment, with sticky tape holding it all together.
“CopperString for reliable, affordable baseload power, and a gas reserve policy would be just the start to really underpin what really is a vast potential for our state.”
MITEZ chief executive officer Maria James said the organisation was delighted with the news on Eva.
“2026 will be a good year in the North West as Eva moves into project execution phase with mobilisation to site and the start of their infrastructure construction,” she said.
“Hundreds of jobs will be created during construction and the 450 full-time roles during the 15-year mine life is significant and welcome.
“The project will give much needed confidence to the MITEZ region and lays the foundation for future concentrate supply to the Mount Isa smelter.
“MITEZ commends the efforts involved from Harmony’s Board and staff and we are confident Eva will reach production stage in 2028/2029 FY.”
“MITEZ will continue to work with them, and the Queensland Government, to underscore the project’s progression.”