Quinbrook-owned project company Solquartz has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Townsville City Council to advance Australia’s first integrated quartz-to-silicon manufacturing complex at the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct in north Queensland.
Australian-owned Quinbrook, through Solquartz, plans to build a state-of-the-art polysilicon manufacturing facility at Lansdown, powered by large-scale solar and battery energy storage projects it is developing nearby. The manufacturing facility is planned for the Lansdown industrial hub located about 40 km south of Townsville.
The purpose-built Northern Quartz Campus will source silica quartz from the north Queensland region and process it to produce higher-value silicon products for domestic and international markets, with the potential to support downstream manufacturing including polysilicon wafers for use in solar panels, semiconductors and other advanced technologies.
Stage 1 of the project includes a 50,000 MT metallurgical silicon production facility, a biochar plant and about 550 MW of solar generation. It will also include the Supernode North battery energy storage system – a 780 MW system to be developed in stages.
The council said the MOU establishes a pathway to finalise a project development and infrastructure agreement by the end of this year. The agreement would set out the council’s infrastructure delivery obligations and Solquartz’s contribution to infrastructure costs for the project’s first stage. The first stage of the Northern Quartz Campus is expected to cost about AUD 4.5 billion ($3.21 billion) with the entire project expected to cost an estimated of AUD 8 billion.
Townsville Mayor Nick Dametto said the new MOU is an important step in progressing the broader Lansdown development.
“After years of planning and groundwork, Lansdown is moving from concept to construction, with Solquartz now a step closer to getting shovels in the ground,” he said.
The Northern Quartz Campus was declared a ‘Prescribed Project’ by the Queensland government in 2024 and was awarded Major Project Status by the Australian government in February 2026.
The project is expected to commence commercial operations by 2030.
In addition to progressing the polysilicon manufacturing facility at Lansdown, Quinbrook is also progressing its co-located Lansdown West and Noth solar farms, and the Supernode North battery project at the site.
The solar farms are expected to deliver a combined 550 MW of PV generation while the Supernode North battery project is set to deliver 780 MW / 2,200 MWh of energy storage capacity.
Quinbrook Senior Vice President Vignesh Bandi said the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct presents a unique opportunity to combine renewable energy generation and storage infrastructure with large scale manufacturing and critical mineral supply chains.
“Our ambition for Lansdown extends beyond any single project,” he said. “The Northern Quartz Campus, Supernode North and our renewable energy projects are complementary investments that can help establish Townsville and North Queensland as a hub for energy-intensive advanced manufacturing.”
“We see a compelling opportunity to combine Queensland’s renewable energy and natural resources to build more of the value chain here at home and manufacture higher-value products for domestic and global markets.”
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