Managing contractor Sedgman has started installing equipment in a construction milestone for the Queensland Resources Common User Facility (QRCUF) in Townsville.
A tailings filter press capable of dewatering 750kg per hour is first cab off the rank for installation, according to the Office of the Coordinator-General.
Coordinator-General Gerard Coggan described the facility, set to open late next year, as a game-changer for Queensland’s critical minerals sector.
“With construction progressing at Cleveland Bay Industrial Park in the Townsville State Development Area, we’re seeing the final concrete pours and structural steel works nearing completion,” he said.
“Equipment is now arriving on site, bringing us one step closer to delivering this cutting-edge facility.”
Mr Coggan said the QRCUF would initially focus on vanadium, providing a state-of-the-art platform for companies to trial mineral processing and accelerate critical minerals projects.
“This facility will not only strengthen Queensland’s sovereign capability in advanced manufacturing but also unlock the potential of the North West Minerals Province, which holds deposits valued at $500 billion,” he said.
“Strategic investments like QRCUF and the establishment of State Development Areas are vital to Queensland’s long-term prosperity.
“By providing planning certainty and unlocking investment opportunities, we’re ensuring that infrastructure doesn’t just keep pace with growth but actively drives economic and industrial development for generations to come.”