Approvals and Permits

TIER 1 APPROVALS AND PERMITS

All Tier 1 approvals for Lots 19/20 within the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct, the Project site, and for facilities within the Port of Townsville necessary for the Project to commence construction have been obtained. These are:

1. A referral beneath The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth) [EPBC Act] for Lot 19/20 of the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct was approved on 2 December 2022.
2. Material Change of Use Development Application (MCU DA) and Environmental Authority (EA) for Lot 19/20 of the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct beneath The Planning Act 2016 and The Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act) respectively was approved on 14 December 2022.
3. Material Change of Use Development Application (MCU DA) and Environmental Authority (EA) for allotted site within the Port of Townsville beneath The Planning Act 2016 and The Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act) respectively was received on 6 July 2023.

Ongoing work in support of the approvals includes:

• Working with Townsville City Council (TCC) to finalise the Offset Area Management Plan landowner agreement which requires land be assigned to the Project to offset the significant residual impacts assessed during the EPBC referral process. The animals impacted were Squatter Pigeon, Southern Black-throated Finch and Bare-Rumped Sheathtail Bat. This requires the approval of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), the referral authority.
• Submitting an “Other Change” application to amend the approved MCU DA to reflecting the revised design and a major amendment application for the Environmental Authority to reflect process plant outputs and their impacts on the receiving environment. This will include revising the completed environmental technical modelling and studies against the new design to ensure the revised design and the approved MCU DA are aligned.

TIER 2 APPROVALS AND PERMITS

The Tier 2 approvals and permits required are: End of Waste Code EOWC (EOWC) beneath the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011: Approval as a Major Hazard Facility (MHF) beneath the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 and the Work Health and Safety Act 2011; and an Operational Works Permit beneath The Planning Act 2016.

EOWC

There has and continues to be interaction with the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DESI) the managing authority for EOWC. QPM are working with DESI to have the residue classified as a resource rather than waste, permitting its use as an engineered fill. This entails repeating a test program undertaken at James Cook University where it was demonstrated that the residue was suitable as an engineered fill.

OPERATIONAL WORKS PERMIT

An Operational Works Permit is required prior to commencement of any construction on site, excluding minor works such as security fencing, and requires design drawings. Such drawings will only be available during the execution phase of the project therefore an application for such permits will be undertaken at a later date. With an approval period of only 30 working days from the date of submission this is not considered a risk to the project execution schedule.

MAJOR HAZARD FACILITY

The TECH Project will be classified as a major hazard facility due to the presence of specific chemicals exceeding the limits defined in Schedule 15 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. Work to obtain this approval has commenced.