Esmeralda Graphite project

Open cut graphite mine producing up to 200,000 tonnes per annum of graphite concentrate over a 53 year mine life.

Status

EIS Consultation

Jobs

100 (construction) + 192 (operational)

Investment

$666.4 million

About the project

The proponent, Qld Aus Graphite Pty Ltd (Graphinex), a wholly owned subsidiary of Graphinex Pty Ltd, proposes to develop the $666.4 million Esmeralda Graphite project. A new open-cut graphite mine; the project proposes to extract up to 3.5 million tonnes per annum of run-of-mine ore, producing up to 200,000 tonnes per annum of graphite concentrate over a 53 year mine life.

Located approximately 70km south of Croydon, the project involves:

development of an open-cut graphite mine and processing facilities
solar array and energy storage system with back-up diesel generation
water management infrastructure
mine infrastructure area, mine and product stockpiles and loading areas
access road and internal tracks and
accommodation facility, sewage and waste management infrastructure.

Graphinex proposes to transport the graphite concentrate by truck from the proposed mine to the Port of Townsville for export. Graphite is essential for a wide range of renewable energy applications, including battery technology.

Proponent	Qld Aus Graphite Pty Ltd (Graphinex), a wholly owned subsidiary of Graphinex Pty Ltd
Location	70km south of Croydon, Queensland. Find this and other projects on our map.
Local government	Croydon Shire Council
Investment	$666.4 million capital expenditure
Jobs	100 (construction) 192 (operational)
Construction start date	2027/2028

Latest update

Public consultation on the draft EIS is being held from Thursday 5 November 2026 to Monday 14 December 2026.

Qld Aus Graphite Pty Ltd (Graphinex), a wholly owned subsidiary of Graphinex Pty Ltd prepared a draft EIS for the Esmeralda Graphite project.

The Coordinator-General released the draft EIS for public and government agency comment.

You are invited to have your say on the draft EIS, including the project’s potential direct and indirect environmental impacts and the effectiveness of measures proposed to manage those impacts. The Coordinator-General will consider your submission as part of the evaluation of the project’s environmental impacts.

Visit Have your say for details and to make an online submission. Comments close on 14 December 2026.

Environmental impact assessment process

This project has been declared a coordinated project by the Coordinator-General under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971. We play a role making sure benefits and risks are managed through a rigorous assessment process, and that approvals are coordinated across local, state and federal jurisdictions. Find out more about the coordinated project environmental impact assessment process.

Declaration date	11 July 2025
Assessment process	Coordinated project requiring an environmental impact statement (EIS) Not a controlled action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Current stage	Consultation on draft EIS
Declaration lapse date	29 March 2027

Assessment milestones

Date	Activity
5 November 2026 to 14 December 2026	Public consultation on the draft EIS. Draft EIS - Summary ( 0.7MB) Complete draft EIS
29 September 2025	Terms of reference for EIS ( 791.1 KB) released.
11 July 2025	Gazettal ( 242.9 KB) of 'coordinated project' declaration
2 July 2025	Application, including initial advice statement ( 14.0 MB) submitted
23 June 2025	Australian Minister for the Environment and Water decided the project is not a ‘controlled action’. A project that has the potential to have a significant impact on matters of national environmental significance is called a 'controlled action' and requires approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth).

Assessment documents

Open all

Chapter 1 - Table of contents ( 0.5MB)
Chapter 2 - Executive summary ( 0.7MB)
Chapter 3 - Introduction ( 0.7MB)
Chapter 4 - Project description ( 11MB)
Chapter 5 - Project rationale and alternatives ( 1MB)
Chapter 6 - Legislative requirements and project approvals ( 0.9MB)
Chapter 7 - Stakeholder consultation and engagement ( 0.7MB)
Chapter 8 - Tenure including Native Title ( 1.3MB)
Chapter 9 - Land use planning ( 1.3MB)
Chapter 10 - Land – geology, geomorphology, topography and soils ( 5.0MB)
Chapter 11 - First Nations cultural heritage ( 0.7MB)
Chapter 12 - Non-Indigenous cultural heritage ( 0.6MB)
Chapter 13 - Rehabilitation and closure ( 2.3MB)
Chapter 14 - Water resources ( 8.3MB)
Chapter 15 - Water quality ( 6.5MB)
Chapter 16 - Flooding and regulated structures ( 9.3MB)
Chapter 17 - Waste ( 3.1MB)
Chapter 18 - Flora and fauna ( 13.1MB)
Chapter 19 - Biosecurity ( 1.5MB)
Chapter 20 - Social ( M1.6B)
Chapter 21 - Economics ( 1.2MB)
Chapter 22 - Hazards, health and safety ( 1.6MB)
Chapter 23 - Air quality ( 2.4MB)
Chapter 24 - Noise and vibration ( 3.0MB)
Chapter 25 - Traffic and transport ( 1.4MB)
Chapter 26 - Climate ( 1.5MB)
Chapter 27 - Greenhouse gas ( 0.9MB)
Chapter 28 - Visual amenity ( 7.1MB)
Chapter 29 - Cumulative impact ( 1.4MB)
Chapter 30 - Environmental management plans ( 0.8MB)
Chapter 31 – Conclusion and commitments ( MB)
Chapter 32 – Proposed Environmental Authority conditions ( 1.9MB)
Chapter 33 – References ( 0.5MB)

Appendix A - Air quality assessment ( 7.8MB)
Appendix B - Greenhouse gas and decarbonisation technical report ( 1.3MB)
Appendix C - Public consultation report ( 1.2MB)
Appendix D - Aquatic ecology assessment ( 79MB)
Appendix E - Terrestrial ecology assessment ( 92MB)
Appendix F - Stygofauna assessment ( 1.7MB)
Appendix G - Groundwater dependent ecosystem assessment ( 21MB)
Appendix H - Soils and land suitability assessment ( 32MB)
Appendix I - Noise and vibration impact assessment ( 8.8MB)
Appendix J - Social impact management plans ( 0.8MB)
Appendix K - Surface Water Assessment ( 81MB)
Appendix L - Groundwater impact assessment ( 436MB)
Appendix M - Land-based effluent disposal assessment report ( 5.6MB)
Appendix N - Transport impact assessment ( 46MB)
Appendix O - Social impact assessment ( 7.1MB)
Appendix P - Economic Impact Assessment * not published – commercial in confidence
Appendix Q - Non-indigenous cultural heritage environmental impact assessment ( 2MB)
Appendix R - Groundwater impact assessment peer review ( 1MB)
Appendix S - Erosion stability assessment (WEPP) ( 14MB)
Appendix T - Progressive rehabilitation and closure plan ( 16MB)
Appendix U - Geochemistry assessment of mine materials and tailings ( 22MB)
Appendix V - Pit void water quality modelling ( 4.2MB)
Appendix W - Technical report for tailings storage facilities ( 58MB)
Appendix X - Watercourse diversion functional design report ( 112MB)
Appendix Y - Noise and vibration management plan ( 2.3MB)

* Graphinex has provided a commercial-in-confidence version of Appendix P (Technical report – Economic impact assessment) to the Coordinator-General to support the evaluation of the EIS. Graphinex has advised that Appendix P contains commercially sensitive information and is therefore not publicly available.

Attachment 1 - Terms of Reference ( 0.9MB)
Attachment 2 - Terms of Reference – Reconciliation Table ( 0.9MB)
Attachment 3 - Contaminated Land Register ( 0.1MB)
Attachment 4 - Offset strategy ( 1.6MB)

Further information

Crisafulli Government streamlines approvals to get major resource projects moving (2 April 2026)
Crisafulli Government declares prescribed project to strengthen critical minerals sector (13 November 2025)
Crisafulli Government takes next step to help deliver major North Queensland graphite project (01 October 2025)
Investor confidence returns to Queensland as Crisafulli Government fast-tracks major graphite project (11 July 2025)
Find out more about the Esmeralda Graphite project from Graphinex Pty Ltd.
Find out what it means to have a project declared ‘coordinated’ – with details of the process, the benefits and what kinds of projects can potentially be declared.
Explore other coordinated projects.

Last updated: 30 October 2026