Alpha HPA has been awarded a $21.7 million grant by the Queensland Government for its first high-purity alumina (HPA) project in Gladstone.
The grant will help fund the construction, commissioning and operation of the HPA project.
As the name implies, Alpha HPA specialises in HPA, an essential material for supply-chain decarbonisation, including use in LED lighting and lithium-ion batteries. Alpha has committed to sourcing 100 per cent renewable energy for its operations.
Alpha’s refining technology allows for the extraction and purification of alumina close to 100 per cent purity.
A feasibility study conducted in 2020 predicted the Gladstone HPA project to have a production rate of 10,000 tonnes per annum, creating 120 full-time jobs and increasing the company’s annual free cashflow to $280 million.
The State Government grant reflected as much, requiring that the project to create and maintain an average of 151 full-time equivalent employees, incur $58.2 million in Queensland supply-chain expenditure, and scale to a minimum production of 10,640 tonnes per annum of HPA. The agreement also requires Alpha to spend a total of $367.5 million in project expenditure.
Alpha’s Gladstone project received an additional $15.5 million grant from the Federal Government in April last year, which went to expanding production capacity and renewable energy stores on site.
“Alpha is delighted to receive this financial and commercial support for the HPA first project from the Queensland Government,” Alpha managing director Rimas Kairaitis said.
“We welcome the state’s recognition of Alpha’s products as key critical minerals for LED, e-mobility and semi-conductor markets.
“This financial assistance builds on the existing announced support from the Commonwealth Government and adds further momentum for the project.”