Name of the Project
High-purity alumina (HPA) First project.

Location
Gladstone State Development Area (SDA), in Queensland, Australia.

Project Owner/s
Alpha HPA.

Project Description
The HPA First project will at scale –be one of the largest single HPA refineries in the world. The 10 ha, state-of-the-art facility will leverage the established Stage 1 facility, and the latest in process control systems and automation capable of producing 10 000 t/y of HPA equivalent.

Potential Job Creation
During construction, the project will generate more than 300 jobs and, once operational, will create 120 full-time job opportunities for the local community.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
The project has a preproduction capital cost of A$308.13-million.

Planned Start/End Date
The project will be operational in 2025.

Latest Developments
Alpha HPA is on track to fully commission the HPA circuit at its Stage 1 precursor production facility (PPF), in Queensland.

The company is in the final stages of deploying the A$15.5-million grant funding awarded under the Critical Minerals Development Programme to install a small-scale commercial HPA circuit at the Stage 1 project.

The HPA circuit will expand the PPF production capacity for aluminium nitrate and aluminium sulphate. It will produce up to 15 t/y of additional HPA production capacity, between 15 t/y and 25 t/y of HPA trihydrate capacity and up to an additional 10 t/y of high-purity boehmite capacity. In addition, it will produce nano HPA production to service end-users in the semiconductor sector, and the production of HPA tablets for synthetic sapphire glass growth.

The Queensland government announced that it would provide up to A$30-million in funding for Alpha HPA to turn locally produced alumina into glass for smartwatches and smartphones.

The investment will accelerate the delivery of two purpose-built furnaces used to ‘grow’ sapphire glass at Alpha HPA, in Gladstone. The units will enable Alpha HPA to produce more than 4 t/y of sapphire glass from HPA.

Ahead of the commissioning of the new HPA circuit, the Stage 1 PPF is producing 4N purity alpha phase and gamma phase HPA at small scale to support the Brisbane facility in supplying sales and product test orders.

The Stage 1 PPF is also supplying aluminium nitrate to the Brisbane facility to service end-user test orders for high-purity boehmites, HPA trihydrate and high-purity nano-aluminas

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Prudentia Process Consulting (DFS and cost estimation); Prudentia and HPAlumina (pilot plant, engineering); and Aecom (permitting approvals).

Contact Details for Project Information
Alpha HPA, tel +61 2 9300 3310 or email info@collerinacobalt.com.au.