Media Release
The Palaszczuk Government has welcomed the next stage in securing rapidly growing Alpha HPA, a $200 million, high purity alumina industrial plant, for Gladstone, creating around 100 regional jobs.
Minister for State Development Cameron Dick said he was pleased Gladstone has been selected as the location for the advanced manufacturing business, after competing with two potential interstate sites in Newcastle, New South Wales and Kwinana, Western Australia.
“This is a great opportunity for Gladstone,” Mr Dick said.
“Delivery of this project would support around 100 new jobs in a new emerging industry with global demand.
“High purity alumina is a rapidly-growing market, being fuelled by the rising demand for high-technology items, such as lithium-ion battery separators used in electric vehicles, particularly in China and Europe.”
Member for Gladstone Glenn Butcher said it was the existing facilities and workforce in Gladstone that ultimately won the bid.
“Our extensive infrastructure, industrial processing facilities and skilled workforce led Alpha HPA to select a 9.2 hectare site in the Gladstone State Development Area which is owned by the state government,” he said.
“With the Port of Gladstone nearby and export-ready, and the proposed site located close to likely suppliers whose by-product will be used to extract the high purity alumina, it’s the ideal location.”
Rimas Kairaitis from Alpha HPA said it’s an exciting time for the Australian Company as it progresses from a pilot plant to a large-scale advanced manufacturing business.
“The Gladstone site enables us to be within two kilometres of Orica, who we have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with to be our supplier of key process reagents and the offtake of the by-product for the project, creating a circular economy process.
“A successful pilot plant has been operating in Brisbane, since July 2019, and using a low-cost extraction process we are producing around 3kg daily of >99.99 per cent pure alumina.
“We believe there is building global demand for our high purity alumina, with circa 70 lithium ion battery mega-factories under construction across four continents to meet the electric vehicle demand.”
Alpha HPA will now negotiate final purchase terms for the land with the state government.
For more information visit Alpha HPA.
