Major Project Status
Current Major Projects
Last Updated: 30 September 2020
Location of projects listed below.
Blue dots represent projects currently holding Major Project Status.
Black dots represent former MPS projects that have completed their major Commonwealth approvals. Locations and distances not to scale.
Current Major Project Status projects
The following are projects that currently hold Major Project Status and are being assisted by the MPFA in completing their major Commonwealth approvals. They are shown in the above map as blue dots.
| Map legend | Project name | Project proponent | Description1 | State / Territory | Major Project Status granted | Major Project Status expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue dot 1 |
Althea Medicinal Cannabis Facility |
Althea Group Holdings Ltd |
A vertically integrated medicinal cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility in Victoria. Althea plans to supply its customer base in Australia and the UK from the facility. Althea has developed Althea Concierge, an online customer portal as well as an online education portal, MEDIC, which provides free online educational services on medicinal cannabis to assist in its distribution network. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $0.150 billion and would create approximately 200 construction jobs and 150 full-time equivalent positions. |
VIC |
12 Dec 2019 |
12 Dec 2022 |
Blue dot 2 |
Asterion Medicinal Cannabis Project |
Asterion (Australia) Pty Ltd |
A high-tech medicinal cannabis cultivation, research and manufacturing facility. The project involves construction of a 40 hectare glasshouse to produce 20,000 plants per day at full capacity. Medicinal grade cannabis grown at the facility will be manufactured into a range of medicinal products, including single patient packs, cannabis oils, gels, salts and related products, destined solely for the medicinal market. This facility is anticipated to be the largest facility of its kind in the world. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $450 million and would create approximately 800 construction jobs and 150 ongoing jobs. |
QLD |
01 Apr 2019 |
28 Feb 2022 |
Blue dot 3 |
Australian ASEAN Power Link |
Sun Cable Pty Ltd |
The Australian ASEAN Power Link Project is a $22 billion project that integrate three components, including a 10 gigawatt solar farm array built over 12,000 hectares in the Barkly region near Tennant Creek, battery storage facilities and a high voltage direct current transmission line. The project would link to Singapore’s electricity grid and have the potential to significantly expand the renewable energy and battery storage industries in Australia. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $22 billion and would create approximately 1.500 construction jobs and 351 ongoing jobs. |
NT |
14 July 2020 |
14 July 2023 |
Blue dot 4 |
Australian Vanadium Project |
Australian Vanadium Ltd |
Development of a new vanadium mine with on-site processing facilities for high grade vanadium pentoxide, located in mid-west Western Australia. The project will produce vanadium pentoxide for use in steel, specialty alloys and energy storage markets. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $502 million and would create approximately 500 construction jobs and 240 ongoing jobs. |
WA |
13 Aug 2019 |
13 Aug 2022 |
Blue dot 5 |
Beyondie Sulphate of Potash Project |
Kalium Lakes Ltd |
The Beyondie Project will produce sulphate of potash, a high yield premium fertiliser. This involves brine extraction, evaporation and on-site processing. The project aims to be Australia's first commercial potash producer and with approximately half its output expected to be supplied to the domestic market, would contribute to the resilience and security of supply of domestic potash. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $227 million and would create approximately 80 construction jobs and 50 ongoing jobs. |
WA |
13 Aug 2019 |
13 Aug 2022 |
Blue dot 6 |
Hawsons Iron Project |
Carpentaria Resources Ltd |
Hawsons Iron Project is a magnetite mine being developed 60km south west of Broken Hill. The project will produce around 10 million tonnes per annum of high grade magnetite over its estimated 20 year mine life. Ore from the mine will be processed on site and transported to Broken Hill via a pipeline where it will be railed to Port Pirie (or Whyalla), South Australia for export. The high grade magnetite, called Hawsons Supergrade product, would be the world's highest iron content steel making raw material. The project offers significant energy and emissions savings in the steel making process due to its chemical properties. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $1.7 billion and would create approximately 1,200 construction jobs and 500 ongoing jobs. |
NSW |
15 Mar 2018 |
18 Dec 2020 |
Blue dot 7 |
Hydroganics Medicinal Cannabis Facility |
Hydroganics Pty Ltd |
Hydroganics plan to develop a medicinal cannabis cultivation and processing facility. The project will consist of approximately 10 hectares of greenhouses attached to a 5000m² Good Manufacturing Practice certified automated head house where the plant material will be processed.
Hydroganics estimate that at full capacity the project will cultivate an estimated 3,630,000 plants per annum. Hydroganics plan to manufacture a range of cannabis oils to supply domestic and international markets. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $333 million and would create approximately 140 ongoing jobs and 152 construction jobs. |
QLD |
04 Oct 2019 |
04 Oct 2022 |
Blue dot 8 |
Ichthys LNG Project |
Inpex Browse Ltd |
The Ichthys LNG project is ranked among the most significant oil and gas projects in the world. It incorporates the development of gas and condensate fields located in the Browse Basin off the Western Australian coast, an onshore processing facility near Darwin in the Northern Territory and an 890km subsea pipeline uniting them. It is one of the few mega projects worldwide that incorporates the whole chain of development and production components: subsea, offshore, pipeline and onshore. The project has a capital expenditure of $37billion, and created approximately 2,000 construction jobs and 1,000 ongoing jobs. |
NT/WA |
Renewed 31 Dec 2017 |
12 Apr 2021 |
Blue dot 9 |
LeafCann Group Biotech Development |
LeafCann Group Pty Ltd |
LeafCann is a vertically integrated biotech company that plans to produce high quality, pharmaceutical grade medicinal cannabis ingredients and medicines. LeafCann will build a state-of-the-art cultivation and Good Manufacturing Practice production facility with a forecast production capacity of up to 16.2 tonne per annum of whole plant extract.
The project will also include the development of cultivation facilities that will be leased to independent medicinal cannabis cultivators. LeafCann have established a Registered Training Organisation to provide training and qualifications to the medicinal cannabis industry. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $350 million and would create approximately 856 construction jobs and 1,400 ongoing jobs. |
SA |
1 Dec 2019 |
1 Dec 2022 |
Blue dot 10 |
Mackay Potash Project |
Agrimin Ltd |
The Mackay Potash Project, located in regional Western Australia, near the East Pilbara town of Kiwirrkurra, is a project that will extract potash minerals from Lake Mackay. The project will involve extracting groundwater from the Lake and storing this saline water in solar evaporation ponds for the crystallisation of potash-bearing salts. The salts will be processed and refined into high purity, water soluble SOP fertiliser products to be exported out of Wyndham Port to world markets. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $545 million and would create approximately 300 construction jobs and 200 ongoing jobs. |
SA |
2 May 2020 |
1 May 2023 |
Blue dot 11 |
Mardie Salt and Potash Project |
BCI Minerals |
The Mardie Salt and Potash Project, located 100km south-west of Karratha, is expected to produce more than 4 million tonnes of high purity salt and 100,000 tonnes of potash fertiliser a year. A new transhipment port within the Pilbara Port Authority controlled Cape Preston West Port area, adjacent to the Mardie project will enable exports from the facility. The project has a capital expenditure of $0.498 billion, and created approximately 450 construction jobs and 200 ongoing jobs. |
WA |
14 July 2020 |
14 July 2023 |
Blue dot 12 |
Medibis Medicinal Cannabis Facility |
Medibis Pty Ltd |
Medibis are developing a high-tech and vertically integrated medicinal cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility in Toowoomba, Queensland. Medibis will produce highest-grade, medicinal cannabis (raw flower), as well as associated refined extracts and medicinal products for applications in the healthcare industry.
All processes will be compliant with Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Medibis will supply thousands of Australian patients through established domestic licensed providers, and will also contribute substantial export volumes to the global industry. Medibis has already established a strong international research alliance, and will provide support for approved prescribers and clinics to enhance understanding of medicinal cannabis. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $0.187 billion and would create approximately 386 ongoing jobs. |
QLD |
14 July 2020 |
14 July 2023 |
Blue dot 13 |
Mt Weld Rare Earths Processing Facility |
Lynas Corporation Ltd |
Lynas Corporation will build a new rare earths processing facility in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. This new facility will bring value-adding back to Australia. Rare earths are used in electric vehicles and wind turbines, catalytic converters which reduce car emissions, and high technology devices such as mobile phones and computers.
The new facility will treat the rare earths concentrate from Lynas' existing rare earths mine near Laverton in Western Australia. The facility's output would then be sent to a sister processing facility in Malaysia to produce a range of separated rare earths products including NdPr (neodymium and praseodymium), La (lanthanum) and Ce (cerium) which are critical inputs to global manufacturing supply chains. The project has a capital expenditure of approximately $500 million and would create approximately 500 construction jobs and over 100 ongoing jobs. |
WA |
12 Dec 2019 |
12 Dec 2022 |
Blue dot 14 |
Nolans Rare Earths Project |
Arafura Resources Ltd |
The Nolans Project, located 135km north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, is one of the world’s largest deposits of the rare earths Neodymium and Praseodymium (NdPr), which are essential ingredients in ultra-strong permanent magnets. Arafura plans to mine, concentrate and chemically process NdPr for use in the automotive, clean energy technology and electronic sectors. The operation also plans to produce phosphoric acid for the fertiliser industry. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $1.2 billion and would create approximately 500 construction jobs and 300 ongoing jobs. |
NT |
17 July 2020 |
17 July 2023 |
Blue dot 15 |
Perdaman Urea Plant |
Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers Pty Ltd |
Perdaman plans to build a domestic gas-fired urea manufacturing facility in the Karratha region of Western Australia, with an estimated world-scale production capacity of two million tonnes per annum using low emissions technology. The project aims to be Australia's first urea export project supplying growing Asia Pacific demand. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $4 billion and would create approximately 2,000 construction jobs and 200 ongoing jobs. |
WA |
13 Mar 2019 |
31 Dec 2021 |
Blue dot 16 |
Project Pakenham |
Canopy Growth Australia Pty Ltd |
Canopy Growth plan to establish a vertically integrated medicinal cannabis facility. The new facility will function as Canopy Growth's Asia Pacific headquarters as well as operate as a Good Manufacturing Practice glasshouse, head-house and manufacturing facility. Canopy Growth will manufacture medicinal cannabis products for their Spectrum Therapeutics brand of medicinal cannabis products. The project has a projected capital expenditure of over $60 million and would create approximately 200 ongoing jobs. |
VIC |
01 Nov 2019 |
01 Nov 2022 |
Blue dot 17 |
Project Sea Dragon |
Seafarms Group Ltd |
Project Sea Dragon aims to develop 10,000 hectares of land-based aquaculture at Legune Station in the Northern Territory, producing approximately 125,000 tonnes of Black Tiger Prawns per annum, primarily for Asian markets.
The project is located across multiple sites. Genetics, breeding program and multiplication centres will be located in Darwin, NT and Exmouth, WA. A hatchery will be located in Darwin, and grow out ponds at Legune Station, NT. The feed mill harvesting and processing plant will be located at Kununurra, WA. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $1.5 billion and would create approximately 444 construction jobs and 1,600 ongoing jobs. |
NT/WA |
Renewed 21 Feb 2019 |
31 Dec 2021 |
Blue dot 18 |
Renison Tailings Retreatment Project |
Bluestone Mines Tasmania Joint Venture Pty Ltd |
The Renison Tailings Retreatment Project (Rentails) will establish a new processing plant at the Renison Tin Mine near Zeehan, North West Tasmania, to re-process existing tailings held in tailing dams. The project will include a new concentrator and tin fuming process to reprocess the tailings into high grade tin fume and copper matte product. Approximately 60,000 tonnes of tin and 25,000 tonnes of copper will be recovered over the project life of at least 11 years. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $205 million and would create approximately 150 construction jobs and 78 ongoing jobs. |
TAS |
22 Nov 2017 |
20 Sep 2020 |
Blue dot 19 |
Saint Elmo Vanadium Project |
Multicom Resources Ltd |
The project will develop an open cut mine for the production of vanadium in north west Queensland. Vanadium is a critical mineral used to manufacture batteries particularly suited to renewable energy storage. The mine will produce up to 20 kilotonnes per annum of vanadium pentoxide and operate over a 20+ year lifespan. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $399 million and would create approximately 200 construction jobs and 100 ongoing jobs. |
QLD |
28 Nov 2019 |
28 Nov 2022 |
Blue dot 20 |
Shepparton Medicinal Cannabis Facility |
Cannatrek Ltd |
Cannatrek Limited will establish a 16 hectare medicinal cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility in regional Victoria. During Phase 1, Cannatrek will develop a one hectare glasshouse for initial cultivation as well as processing and site infrastructure. Phase 1 is expected to produce 10-20 tonne of cannabis biomass worth an estimated $30–100 million per annum for domestic and export markets The project has a projected capital expenditure of over $160 million and would create approximately 400 ongoing jobs. |
VIC |
1 Dec 2019 |
1 Dec 2022 |
Blue dot 21 |
Small Scale FLNG Project |
Transborders Energy Pty Ltd |
The project will develop a small scale floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) vessel, with a capacity of approximately 1.2 million tonnes per annum, and a package of streamlined processes to execute key commercial agreements. This will enable the commercialisation of small or stranded gas resources that are currently considered unviable using traditional platform and pipeline technologies due to the gas field's location and/or size. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $1.6 billion and would create approximately 150 construction jobs and 100 ongoing jobs. |
WA |
15 Mar 2018 |
12 Nov 2020 |
1Projected capital expenditure, construction jobs and ongoing jobs figures provided by project proponents.
Former Major Project Status projects that have completed approvals
The following are projects that previously held Major Project Status and were assisted by the MPFA in completing their major Commonwealth approvals. They are shown in the above map as black dots.
| Map legend | Project name | Project proponent | Description1 | State / Territory | Major Project Status granted | Major Project Status expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Black dot 1 |
Central Eyre Iron Project |
Iron Road Ltd |
Development of a new magnetite iron ore mine with on-site ore processing facilities located south of Wudinna on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula. The project will also develop an infrastructure corridor including a standard gauge rail line, a new power transmission line and a new deep water port located at Cape Hardy in South Australia's Spencer Gulf, about 7km south of Port Neill. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $4.5 billion and would create approximately 1,940 construction jobs and 700 ongoing jobs. |
SA |
Renewed 10 Nov 2016 |
31 Dec 2019 |
|
Black dot 2 |
Chandler Salt Mine and Storage Facility |
Tellus Holdings Ltd |
The Chandler Facility, located approximately 120km south of Alice Springs, Northern Territory, is Australia's first proposed underground salt mine and deep geologically-stable waste repository. Salt extracted from the salt bed will predominately be exported for industrial purposes. The resulting underground voids will then be utilised for storing equipment, archives, and the permanent isolation of difficult to manage waste materials (known as Controlled Wastes in the NT). |
NT |
18 Apr 2017 |
31 Dec 2019 |
|
Black dot 3 |
Prelude FLNG |
Shell Development (Australia) Pty Ltd |
Shell will be utilising an innovative floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility to commercialise the 3 trillion cubic feet of gas located in gas fields in the Browse Basin off the Kimberley Coast. |
WA |
Renewed 11 Oct 2015 |
31 Dec 2017 |
|
Black dot 4 |
Sandy Ridge Kaolin Mine and Storage Facility |
Tellus Holdings Ltd |
The Sandy Ridge project, located approximately 240km northwest of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, will extract Kaolin clay mainly for the southeast Asian export market for use in ceramics. The resulting voids will then be utilised for the permanent isolation of difficult to manage waste materials (known as Controlled Wastes in WA) and low level radioactive wastes (e.g., smoke detectors) in the tectonically stable clay bed. The project has a projected capital expenditure of $61 million and would create approximately 100 construction jobs and 80 ongoing jobs. |
WA |
18 Apr 2017 |
31 Dec 2019 |
2Projected capital expenditure, construction jobs and ongoing jobs figures provided by project proponents.
