❓ The Minister outlines government support for WA's critical minerals and future battery sector, highlighting various projects and investments aimed at downstream processing and job creation.
AnsweredQoN 131Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FUTURE BATTERY INDUSTRY
131. Ms A.E. KENT to the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's commitment to diversifying our
economy and creating more jobs for Western Australians in new emergent
industries. Can the minister update the house on how the government is
supporting our critical minerals and future batteries sector and outline what
future developments in this sector mean for Western Australia?
131. Ms A.E. KENT to the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's commitment to diversifying our
economy and creating more jobs for Western Australians in new emergent
industries. Can the minister update the house on how the government is
supporting our critical minerals and future batteries sector and outline what
future developments in this sector mean for Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question
and note her genuine and continuing interest in this matter.
We have been very successful in Western
Australia in going downstream in the battery industry and we are well placed to do more in the future. I congratulate
BHP Nickel West for ramping up its nickel sulphate plant in Kwinana , which builds on its efforts in the Kambalda nickel
smelter. It is the first plant for nickel sulphate, which is a chemical
used in the production of batteries. It is a clear example of going downstream
here in Western Australia. I am very pleased to see the Poseidon Nickel and
Pure Battery Technologies announcement today that they intend to build a battery chemical hub in Kalgoorlie to produce
precursor cathode active material, pCAM, which is, again, a chemical used
in the production of batteries.
I note that both Murrin Murrin and
Ravensthorpe nickel mines are producing nickel concentrate. It is often
underestimated how complicated it is for those petrochemical plants that are
already operating to downstream raw material
here in Western Australia. I congratulate the Future Battery Industries
Cooperative Research Centre, which is
building a pCAM pilot plant at Curtin University supported by the Western Australian
government. I congratulate Tianqi and its partner IGO in the ramp up of
its lithium hydroxide plant in Kwinana, and Albemarle and its partner MRL in
the ongoing construction of its lithium hydroxide plant in Kemerton and
congratulate Covalent Lithium on its decision to proceed with its lithium
hydroxide plant in Kwinana, which will make Western Australia the second most
important supplier of processed lithium chemical—not raw material—for
the global battery industry.
I congratulate Pilbara Minerals on
its innovation. It is doing a pilot plant to test a new pathway to lithium
chemicals for its future project in the Pilbara. I congratulate Global Lithium
Resources on it fast-tracking its Marble Bar project
and its clear intention to go down the pathway of chemical processing of the
material as well. In the electorate of the member for Kalgoorlie, I congratulate
Lynas Rare Earths. It has already started construction that will see 290 construction jobs for its $500 million project
that recently received final approvals in Kalgoorlie, which will see, for the
first time, rare earths being processed here in Western Australia. It will see
128 operational jobs. I congratulate Hastings Technology Metals for its
Yangibana rare earths project that comprises a beneficiation plant at Yangibana and a hydrometallurgical plant at the Ashburton
North Strategic Industrial Area. It is another example of downstreaming rare earths here in Western Australia. That $650 million project will create
360 construction jobs and 250 high skilled, high waged process jobs as Western Australia
becomes the western world's key supplier of processed rare earths out
of this state.
I congratulate EcoGraf and its
battery anode material facility located in the Rockingham Strategic Industrial
Area, which has benefited from a $40 million Export Finance Australia loan,
which will see its facility be able to expand from its initial 5 000 tonnes per
annum to 20 000 tonnes per annum—again, processing chemical materials
for the battery industry. That is one of the first grants from the federal
government to support downstream processing. It is very good that it is coming to Western Australia. Of course, EcoGraf
is partnering with another Western Australian company, FYI Resources. I visited
FYI's pilot plant in the eastern suburbs where it is using innovative
technology to downstream high purity alumina. Again, it is an important
component that goes into batteries and sapphire glass. FYI has also signed a term sheet with Alcoa that will see the production
of high purity alumina in Western Australia. Of course, I congratulate
International Graphite, which has been backed by a $2 million grant from the
state government to create Western Australia's first fully integrated
graphite production facility in Collie, another very important component that goes into lithium-ion batteries. Again, it is
downstream processing chemical components . I congratulate it on taking
over Comet Resources' Springdale graphite project near Hopetoun. I also
want to finally finish by congratulating Australian Vanadium, which has been
receiving federal government support today for again a downstream processing
plant here in Western Australia.
The only place in Australia that can
sensibly have a future battery industry and critical minerals activity is here
in Western Australia. I wish other states well in the bit part that they might
be able to play in the future industries, but there is only one place this will
succeed and it is here in Western Australia and it has the full support of the Western
Australian government. We have actually succeeded already. We have very
important downstream processing capacity in this area. It is unfortunate that
people on the east coast undervalue the work done by Western Australians. I congratulate all those Western Australian workers
who are part of this key industry and hope that this criticism that comes from the east coast that does not
understand how complicated these downstream value adding processes are stops. I hope that the
opposition does not support the east coast criticism of Western Australian
enterprise and Western Australian workers.
and note her genuine and continuing interest in this matter.
We have been very successful in Western
Australia in going downstream in the battery industry and we are well placed to do more in the future. I congratulate
BHP Nickel West for ramping up its nickel sulphate plant in Kwinana , which builds on its efforts in the Kambalda nickel
smelter. It is the first plant for nickel sulphate, which is a chemical
used in the production of batteries. It is a clear example of going downstream
here in Western Australia. I am very pleased to see the Poseidon Nickel and
Pure Battery Technologies announcement today that they intend to build a battery chemical hub in Kalgoorlie to produce
precursor cathode active material, pCAM, which is, again, a chemical used
in the production of batteries.
I note that both Murrin Murrin and
Ravensthorpe nickel mines are producing nickel concentrate. It is often
underestimated how complicated it is for those petrochemical plants that are
already operating to downstream raw material
here in Western Australia. I congratulate the Future Battery Industries
Cooperative Research Centre, which is
building a pCAM pilot plant at Curtin University supported by the Western Australian
government. I congratulate Tianqi and its partner IGO in the ramp up of
its lithium hydroxide plant in Kwinana, and Albemarle and its partner MRL in
the ongoing construction of its lithium hydroxide plant in Kemerton and
congratulate Covalent Lithium on its decision to proceed with its lithium
hydroxide plant in Kwinana, which will make Western Australia the second most
important supplier of processed lithium chemical—not raw material—for
the global battery industry.
I congratulate Pilbara Minerals on
its innovation. It is doing a pilot plant to test a new pathway to lithium
chemicals for its future project in the Pilbara. I congratulate Global Lithium
Resources on it fast-tracking its Marble Bar project
and its clear intention to go down the pathway of chemical processing of the
material as well. In the electorate of the member for Kalgoorlie, I congratulate
Lynas Rare Earths. It has already started construction that will see 290 construction jobs for its $500 million project
that recently received final approvals in Kalgoorlie, which will see, for the
first time, rare earths being processed here in Western Australia. It will see
128 operational jobs. I congratulate Hastings Technology Metals for its
Yangibana rare earths project that comprises a beneficiation plant at Yangibana and a hydrometallurgical plant at the Ashburton
North Strategic Industrial Area. It is another example of downstreaming rare earths here in Western Australia. That $650 million project will create
360 construction jobs and 250 high skilled, high waged process jobs as Western Australia
becomes the western world's key supplier of processed rare earths out
of this state.
I congratulate EcoGraf and its
battery anode material facility located in the Rockingham Strategic Industrial
Area, which has benefited from a $40 million Export Finance Australia loan,
which will see its facility be able to expand from its initial 5 000 tonnes per
annum to 20 000 tonnes per annum—again, processing chemical materials
for the battery industry. That is one of the first grants from the federal
government to support downstream processing. It is very good that it is coming to Western Australia. Of course, EcoGraf
is partnering with another Western Australian company, FYI Resources. I visited
FYI's pilot plant in the eastern suburbs where it is using innovative
technology to downstream high purity alumina. Again, it is an important
component that goes into batteries and sapphire glass. FYI has also signed a term sheet with Alcoa that will see the production
of high purity alumina in Western Australia. Of course, I congratulate
International Graphite, which has been backed by a $2 million grant from the
state government to create Western Australia's first fully integrated
graphite production facility in Collie, another very important component that goes into lithium-ion batteries. Again, it is
downstream processing chemical components . I congratulate it on taking
over Comet Resources' Springdale graphite project near Hopetoun. I also
want to finally finish by congratulating Australian Vanadium, which has been
receiving federal government support today for again a downstream processing
plant here in Western Australia.
The only place in Australia that can
sensibly have a future battery industry and critical minerals activity is here
in Western Australia. I wish other states well in the bit part that they might
be able to play in the future industries, but there is only one place this will
succeed and it is here in Western Australia and it has the full support of the Western
Australian government. We have actually succeeded already. We have very
important downstream processing capacity in this area. It is unfortunate that
people on the east coast undervalue the work done by Western Australians. I congratulate all those Western Australian workers
who are part of this key industry and hope that this criticism that comes from the east coast that does not
understand how complicated these downstream value adding processes are stops. I hope that the
opposition does not support the east coast criticism of Western Australian
enterprise and Western Australian workers.
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