Queensland unveils $571m plan to make Sunshine state the “battery capital” of Australia

Queensland has unveiled a five-year, $571 million Battery Industry Strategy, setting out a plan to establish a battery supply chain in the state, spanning from materials supply to advanced manufacturing, associated technologies and recycling.

Announced on Thursday, the strategy will draw on $360 million of existing funding, while adding a further $210 million added this week to build capabilities across the value chain, drive development of battery standards, and testing.

Part of the new funding includes $105 million towards the establishment of the Australian Battery Industrialisation Centre that is being co-funded by federal government and developed in partnership with a consortium of Queensland Universities.

In announcing the new strategy Queensland premier Steven Miles made special mention of flow battery technology – an alternative to lithium-ion that promises the sort of longer duration energy storage needed to help support the shift to renewables.

Already, the state is home to local zinc-bromide flow battery manufacturer Redflow, which is based out of Brisbane, but currently does most of its business overseas. Most recently it has been particularly successful in the US, due to policies that favour uptake of non-lithium battery solutions.

“Our 75% emissions reduction target by 2035 provides the investment certainty to build a battery industry here in Queensland to not just supply Australia but the world,” Miles said on Thursday from the National Battery Testing Centre in Banyo.

“Building a Queensland battery industry creates jobs here in the southeast, in mining critical minerals in the north west, in minerals processing in Townsville and new clean economy jobs across our regions including Cairns, Gladstone and Maryborough.”

Queensland’s minister for state development, Grace Grace, says the battery industry could deliver more than 9,100 jobs for the state and contribute up to $1.3 billion to its economy by 2030.

“Each region of Queensland has a role to play in the development of the battery supply chain,” Grace said.

“Our ambition is to make Queensland the battery industry capital, and ensure our communities benefit directly from the job and economic opportunities this will bring.”

Minister for energy Mick de Brenni says the new five-year plan will also work to diversify the technology used to improve battery safety and ensure that Queensland can make the most of its “rich mineral reserves.”

“Batteries are critical for the energy transition, and if we’re going to use them – we should make them,” de Brenni said on Thursday.

“This investment will be welcomed by the manufacturing sector, the resources sector, by climate advocates and anyone who is looking to save money on their household or business budget.

“Setting up a Queensland made battery industry means that soon every Queenslander will be able to store our plentiful and free sunshine and wind resources, to be used in their home and slash money off their bills,” de Brenni said.

Queensland University of Technology’s director of the Advanced Battery Facility, associate professor Josh Watts, says the new strategy will ensure local businesses in the battery sector can scale up to meet demand.

“Queensland hosts an incredibly strong battery industry cluster across a diverse range of energy storage technologies which are primed to supply local and export markets to power the global net zero transition,” Watts said.

“The support provided through the Queensland Battery Industry Strategy will ensure these businesses are able to scale and get their products to market to meet demand which will fortify our domestic energy security and create more jobs and economic growth for Queensland.”

The new battery-focused policy strategy and spend follows the release of a report earlier this week that described the Sunshine State as being at the precipice of transforming from a legacy coal and gas petrostate to a renewable energy superpower.

The Clean Energy Finance report examines how Queensland’s nation-leading policies and investment into transmission, large-scale low-cost renewable energy and Consumer Energy Resources is crowding-in public and private capital and establishing the state as a zero-emissions energy, employment, trade and investment leader.

See: Tidal wave of capital transforms Queensland into renewables and critical minerals superpower