Key Regional Projects
Townsville offers a unique value proposition, with a diverse industry base and a variety of projects at different stages.
The Townsville economy is highly resilient and continues to attract both private and public investment.
The entire North Queensland project pipeline is estimated to be $64.9 billion, which is expected to create an additional 62,000 + jobs over the next 10 years. These projects include developments in traditional industries like defence, health and education as well as emerging industries such as green mineral processing, renewable hydrogen production and exports.
Defence
The Defence industry is critical for the economic growth of the North Queensland region, as the largest industry contributor to gross regional product (GRP).
Over a third of the Australian Army combat forces are located in Townsville North Queensland and is also home to the Lavarack Barracks which is the largest army base in Australia.
Townsville RAAF Base and Lavarack Barracks Upgrades
Project Proponent: Australian Government
Project value: $700M RAAF Base of Townsville + $1B for North Australia Bases (Includes Northern Territory Bases + Lavarack Barracks)
As part of the May 2023 Defence budget, it was announced that the Australian Government has committed $3.8 billion to strengthen Australia's northern defences, including upgrades to both the RAAF Base of Townsville and Lavarack Barracks. This will include the construction of new hangars, maintenance facilities and training simulators to support the deployment of Apaches in the region.
Australian Singapore Military Training Initiative (ASMTI)
Project Proponent: Australian Government
Project Value: $1.25B
Estimated Jobs: 350
ASMTI is located near Greenvale North Queensland to support the training of up to 14,000 Singaporean Armed Force personnel. This is an opportunity for Australia to build defence capability and enhance its bilateral relationship with Singapore, while providing enduring economic benefits to Central and North Queensland.
Agriculture
The region boasts strengths in the agriculture industry as the largest producer of sugarcane and melons in Australia. The industry is critical for the Burdekin and Hinchinbrook regions and overall contributes $1.2B to the regional economy and 3,559 jobs. Charters Towers is also known as the third largest cattle ground in Australia. The industry is seeing new trends emerge with the growth of the aquaculture industry, which is forecast to be Australia’s second largest food export by 2050.
Tropical Aquaculture Accelerator
Project Proponent: James Cook Univeristy
Project Value: $79.5M
The $79.5 million Accelerator will combine James Cook University’s (JCU) global expertise in Aquaculture innovation, research and commercialisation and world-leading, fit-for-purpose facilities with entrepreneurial and expanding industry partners including Ornatas, Mainstream Aquaculture and Seafarms.
The Accelerator will catalyse this landmark industry-facing initiative by providing tanks, laboratories, training and support for innovation that will enable the Aquaculture industry to do the critical on-going research it needs to meet current demand and continue to grow, including:
- Domesticating new species, such as tiger prawns.
- Enhancing quality, disease resistance and growth rates with genomics-driven breeding.
- Creating new low-net-waste production systems.
- Devising new quality control systems that can match every prawn against market expectation.
- This project is shovel ready. Work can start this financial year as a result of several years of planning by JCU with consultants Oceanis and AEC.
Energy
The Energy Industry is rapidly evolving, particularly with the Palaszczuk Government’s commitment to fund the $5B CopperString 2032 project. This high voltage transmission line will unlock an estimated $720B of new economy minerals along the Townsville to Mount Isa corridor. This region has also been identified for it’s very high wind and solar resources, which is attracting even more investment into the region. Emerging opportunities in the energy sector also include the regions status as a renewable hydrogen hub, with several proponents in the region looking to produce and export hydrogen.
Powerlink/CopperString 2032
Project Proponent: Powerlink
Project value: $5B
Estimated jobs: 800 construction jobs, 50-100 operational jobs
The 1,100km CopperString 2032 transmission network, extending from Woodstock out to Mount Isa and the North West Minerals Province (NWMP), will be the largest geographic extension of the National Electricity Market (NEM). The Palaszczuk Government has purchased the project to unlock new economy mineral deposits in the North West.
Hydrogen Electrolyser Plant
Project Proponent: Edify Energy
Project Value: $45.7M
Estimated Jobs: TBC
The Edify Green Hydrogen Project secured development approval in September 2021 for a 1GW+ green hydrogen production facility with a behind-the-meter solar PV and battery storage facility. At full scale the project is expected to produce 150,000+ tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
Gawara Baya Wind Farm
Project Proponent: WindLab
Project Value: $1.2B
Estimated Jobs: 150+ Construction Jobs, 10+ Operational Jobs
The proposed wind energy project will generate up to 500 MW of power from 100 turbines and will be located 65km south-west of Ingham. The project is expected to come online by 2026.
Water
Water infrastructure is a critical enabler for industrial development in the region, resulting in an in economic activity and population growth. The impacts of climate change mean that it is now more important than ever to ensure that North Queensland has a suitable supply of water that can grow with the increasing demand. With rainfall becoming less predictable significant and long-term water storage will be vital moving forward. The agriculture sector is immediately impacted by any new developments in this sector, with new projects resulting in greater productivity and output. Other emerging industries such as renewable hydrogen will also be heavily impacted by future projects in the region, as large quantities of raw water will be required over the next decade to meet the demand for hydrogen exports. Water security all year round is imperative for enabling the major growth and development for both existing and emerging industries.
Burdekin Dam Wall Raising
Project Proponent: Queensland Government
Project Value: $1B
Estimated Jobs: 350 construction jobs
The Burdekin Falls Dam project will see the dam wall raised by an additional 2 metres. The increase will allow for further water allocations and bolster agriculture irrigation. The proposed two-metre raise will increase the storage capacity by approximately 574,240 megalitres or 31 per cent. The Queensland Government have made an initial investment estimate of $540 million. The project is subject to environmental, with a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) currently being prepared.
Education
The education sector play's an important role in the Townsville economy, as it is the third largest employer in the region (approximately 9,270 jobs). Townsville is home to two uniserity campuses, Central Queensland University and James Cook University. Vocational education and training is also integral to the regions workforce, with two TAFE campuses as well as Tec-NQ which is an independant registered training orgnaisation.
TAFE Hydrogen and Advanced Manufacturing Hub
Project Proponent: Queensland Government
Project Value: $17.2M
Estimated Jobs: 45 Construction Jobs
Queensland Government has invested $12.45 million to build a hydrogen and renewable energy training facility and $4.74 million for an advanced manufacturing skills lab. Both facilities will be located at the Bohle Trade Training TAFE in Townsville and the project will be completed during 2023–24. The upgrade is expected to result in approximately 500 extra students by 2024-2025.
Resources
As a result of the growing investment in the north-west minerals province, North Queensland is considered to be the epicentre for renewable advanced manufacturing of batteries, solar panels and other critical technologies. The growing demand for low or zero emissions minerals products continues to grow as the deadlines for emissions reductions targets rapidly approach. Townsville is well placed to support a secure, sustainable and high-value minerals supply chain for the global commodity market. The investment of key enabling infrastructure projects like CopperString 2032 will ensure that the Townsville region will benefit from the increased economic activity in the North West Corridor, as more renewable energy and critical mineral projects come online.
Electrolyte Manufacturing Facility
Project Proponent: Vecco Group
Project Value: $26M
Estimated Jobs: 21 Operational Jobs
Vecco is developing the first commercial scale vanadium electrolyte manufacturing plant in Australia. Stage 1 of the plant development will produce approximately 30MWh per annum of vanadium electrolyte with stage 2 increasing this capacity to over 100Mwh per annum. The plant has been specifically designed to produce a range of electrolyte products to meet the specifications of the major global vanadium battery manufacturers.
QPM TECH Project
Project Proponent: Queensland Pacific Metals
Project Value: $1.9B
Estimated Jobs: 800 Construction Jobs, 300 Operational Jobs
The facility proposes to process 1.5 million tonnes of ore annually to produce nickel sulfate, cobalt sulfate and high-purity alumina. The TECH Project is expected to become a leading supplier of high-grade advanced battery materials.
Health
The healthcare industry is the largest employer in North Queensland and is home of the only tertiary referral centre in North Queensland, Townsville University Hospital. It is also a major teaching hospital for James Cook University’s schools of medicine, nursing and allied health and TAFE Queensland North. Mater Hospital is also the largest private hospital in the region offering 200 beds their Pimlico and Hyde Park Campuses.
TropiQ: Tropical Intelligence and Health Precinct
Project Proponent: Townsville City Council, James Cook University, Townsville Health and Hospital Service, Queensland Government
Direct Economic Contribution: $1.7B
TropiQ, Townsville Tropical Intelligence and Health precinct is a global destination that lives and breathes real world research and innovation. Backed by Townsville City Council and located only 13km from the Townsville CBD, TropiQ is situated at the nexus of Townsville University Hospital (TUH) and James Cook University (JCU) and shares a boundary with Australia’s largest Army base, Lavarack Barracks.
Major infrastructure projects within the precinct include:
- $530M TUH expansion and associated ~$80M multi-level carpark
- Private Hospital development interest (circa $200M + project)
- $94M JCU Technology Innovation Complex
- $54M JCU Student Accommodation
Maternity and Renal Redevelopment Project
Project Proponent: Mater Private Hospital Townsville
Project Value: $29M
Mater Private Hospital Townsville has commenced planning for the relocation of maternity and renal services from Hyde Park to the Pimlico Campus with detailed designs and construction of a new purpose-built facility underway. As the only private tertiary maternity provider north of Mackay capable of dealing with complex pregnancy and paediatric issues, this project will provide significant public and patient benefits across northern Australia.
Tourism
Townsville North Queensland diversified visitor base delivers consistent and strong occupancy rates throughout the year, with a calendar of world-class events which inject million into the economy each year. The regions tourism and event sector support 5,260 jobs and contributes $900M annually to the regional economy and the pipeline of projects set to launch in the tourism space displays the market confidence for investment.
Great Barrier Reef Aquarium Redevelopment
Proponent: Australian Government
Project Value: $80.1M
Estimated Jobs: 300+
The Great Barrier Reef Aquarium received funding from the Australian Government to build a new reef aquarium which is expected to be complete by 2026. The new facility is being designed to provide visitor accessibility for everyone.
This platform has been produced as a joint vision between Townsville City Council and the city's key industry leaders.
This document provides a vision for the development of specific productive precincts within the Townsville Local Government Area. The images provided are impressions only and have no statutory or official policy imprimatur. Concepts, images or impressions used, or information provided, either specifically or implied, should not be used other than in a general information context. The document should in all cases be read in conjunction with the appropriate statutory planning authorities and policies. Image copyright reserved. Reproduction should not occur without specific permission with the appropriate authority.