Queensland Pacific Metals Limited is pioneering the sustainable development of high-purity battery materials with its Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub (“TECH”) project.
Queensland Pacific Metals Limited (“QPM”) is designing, and proposes to construct and operate, a sustainable high-purity battery materials refinery known as the TECH project – 40 km south of Townsville, Queensland.
The TECH project has attracted significant attention as a potential supplier of nickel, cobalt, and high-purity alumina to the emerging electric vehicle sector.
QPM’s shareholders include General Motors and two major Korean battery manufacturers – LG Energy Solution and POSCO.
Ore will be imported from New Caledonia and processed in a modern and sustainable plant to produce:
- Nickel sulphate;
- Cobalt sulphate;
- High-purity Alumina (“HPA”);
- Hematite;
- Magnesia; and
- Ammonium sulphate.
Construction is due to commence in 2024, subject to funding, with 1,000 jobs during construction and 300+ high-skill jobs during operation. Once operational, the project is forecast to generate over 1,900 indirect supply chain jobs in fields including transport, utilities, and engineering.
The TECH project will use leading-edge processing technology known as the Direct Nickel Process (“DNi Process™”). The DNi Process was developed in Australia by Altilium in conjunction with CSIRO and further optimised by QPM to enable its commercialisation.
Advantages of the DNi Process are:
- All valuable metals are extracted and recovered from the ore, minimising waste;
- Acid is recovered, leaving an inert process residue that does not require a tailings dam and will be used in commercial applications such as engineered landfill or concrete; and
- Negative greenhouse gas emissions – much lower than other nickel processing methods.
In November 2022, QPM released an updated assessment undertaken by Minviro Ltd highlighting the TECH project will be not only net zero carbon but significantly net carbon negative (negative 989,000 t CO2/per annum).
Based on a waste gas sourcing strategy, production from the TECH project will far improve on the best environmental alternative for any nickel production in the world.
For every tonne of nickel in nickel sulphate produced, the TECH project reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 39.5 kg CO2eq /kg nickel in nickel sulphate.
Annual reduction in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions as a result of the TECH project is estimated at 989,000 tonnes CO2eq, the equivalent of ~215,000 typical passenger vehicles.
The TECH project will utilise waste mine gas from the Bowen Basin which would otherwise be either flared or directly emitted to the atmosphere as a fugitive emission of methane (which has a 100 year global warming potential factor of 29.8 times that of CO2).
This has the dual benefit of capturing and consuming gas that would otherwise contribute significantly to global warming and manufacturing battery grade minerals to support the ongoing electrification of the automobile industry.
The captured gas will also create additional domestic gas supply for the Townsville region.
The TECH project has now established itself as a leader in sustainable nickel production with net negative carbon nickel production combined with minimal environmental footprint given no tailings dam or zero process liquids discharge.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
- DNi Process™ technology;
- Sustainable nickel, cobalt and high purity alumina production; and
- Developing high-purity battery materials for electric vehicles.
