PVTIME – Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners has signed a memorandum of understanding with Townsville City Council to develop the Northern Quartz Campus, a landmark AUD 7.8 billion polysilicon project in Queensland. Set to be Australia’s first fully integrated manufacturing hub for quartz sand and high-value silicon materials, the facility will produce silicon products for use in photovoltaic, semiconductor, and advanced technology applications at its Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct base.
The project has obtained conditional land approval from Townsville City Council. Both parties intend to finalise a formal Development and Infrastructure Agreement by the end of 2026. This agreement will clarify the council’s infrastructure delivery obligations and Solquartz’s (Quinbrook’s dedicated project subsidiary) financial commitments for the scheme’s initial infrastructure development phase.
The development is expected to generate up to 1,200 job opportunities during its construction and operational phases, with the project targeting full commercial operation by 2030. Vignesh Bandi, Quinbrook’s Senior Vice President, acknowledges the memorandum as a critical milestone for integrating renewable energy, energy storage and advanced manufacturing within the Lansdown precinct. He highlights that large-scale industrial projects depend on aligned infrastructure delivery, governmental support and private capital investment.
Townsville Mayor Nick Dametto says that the agreement will drive the long-planned Lansdown project from conceptual design to practical construction implementation. To further support the operation of the industrial hub, Quinbrook is developing the adjacent Supernode North long-duration battery energy storage scheme. The facility is designed to power high-energy manufacturing processes and release additional grid capacity for the entire industrial campus.
