Townsville City Council has announced that manufacturing plans at the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct have taken another step forward following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Quinbrook-owned project company Solquartz.
In a news release, the Council said the MoU will advance the proposed Northern Quartz Campus, which is planned as Australia’s first integrated quartz-to-silicon manufacturing precinct.
The project is expected to create up to 1,200 jobs across construction and operations and process Australian quartz into higher-value silicon materials for solar PV, semiconductors and other advanced technologies.
According to Townsville City Council, the agreement establishes a pathway towards a Project Development and Infrastructure Agreement, targeted for completion by the end of 2026.
The proposed agreement would outline the Council’s infrastructure delivery obligations and Solquartz’s contribution to infrastructure costs for the project’s first stage.
Townsville Mayor Nick Dametto described the MoU as an important step in progressing the broader Lansdown development.
“After years of planning and groundwork, Lansdown is moving from concept to construction, with Solquartz now a step closer to getting shovels in the ground,” Cr Dametto said.
The Council said the Northern Quartz Campus was declared a Prescribed Project by the Queensland Minister for State Development and Infrastructure in 2024 and received Major Project Status from the Australian Government in February 2026. Commercial operations are expected to commence by 2030.
Quinbrook Senior Vice President Vignesh Bandi said the Lansdown precinct could combine energy infrastructure with downstream manufacturing and critical mineral supply chains.
“Our ambition for Lansdown extends beyond any single project,” Bandi said. “The Northern Quartz Campus, Supernode North and our renewable energy projects are complementary investments that can help establish Townsville and North Queensland as a hub for energy-intensive advanced manufacturing.”
Townsville City Council said Quinbrook is also progressing its co-located Supernode North Battery Energy Storage System, which is intended to provide flexible power for energy-intensive, low-carbon manufacturing while supporting additional grid capacity across the precinct.
Assistant Minister for North Queensland and Member for Mundingburra Janelle Poole said the progress at Lansdown reflected the region’s economic potential.
“North Queensland has a long history of punching above its weight economically and the development of the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Project will help to drive the next phase of growth and expansion in Townsville’s economy for years to come,” Poole said.
The Council said the Northern Quartz Campus is planned as a staged and scalable development using Australian quartz and renewable energy to produce higher-value silicon products for domestic and international markets. It could also support downstream manufacturing, including solar wafers and semiconductor chips.
