Australian Silica Progresses Testing at Quartz Hill Project

Australian Silica Quartz Group (ASQ ASX:ASQ) is advancing the Quartz Hill Metallurgical Grade Silicon (MGSi) Project through a Project Development Heads of Agreement with Private Energy Partners Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners (Quinbrook).

Quinbrook is a ‘value-add’ investment manager specializing in energy transformation. Their focus includes low carbon and renewable energy supply, storage, grid stability, data centers, industrial and supply chain decarbonization, and related assets and businesses.

In 2023, Quinbrook was conditionally allocated a 200-hectare section of the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct. It plans to develop and construct a multibillion-dollar, state-of-the-art polysilicon manufacturing facility, which will be powered by a large-scale solar and battery storage project slated for land adjacent to the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct.

Quartz Hill is situated on EPM 26702 (100% ASQ), 10 km north of Mount Surprise. It is accessible via the Gulf Development Road, located 200 km southwest of Cairns and 290 km northwest of Townsville in North Queensland.

In December 2023, ASQ reported a Quartz Hill Mineral Resource Estimate of 17.3 Mt of total MGSi quartz with 99.04% SiO2, in compliance with the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources, and Ore Reserves.

High-grade quartz is essential for the solar silicon manufacturing industry as a precursor feedstock for producing MGSi. ASQ is collaborating with Quinbrook to evaluate Quartz Hill as a potential source of MGSi feedstock. Quinbrook is a ‘value-add’ investment manager specializing in energy transformation, including low carbon and renewable energy supply, storage, grid stability, data centers, industrial and supply chain decarbonization, and related assets and businesses. Recently, Quinbrook was conditionally allocated a 200-hectare area of the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct, where it plans to develop a multibillion-dollar, state-of-the-art polysilicon manufacturing facility, supported by a large-scale solar and battery storage project on adjacent land.

Additionally, high-purity silica is a crucial raw material for semiconductors in electronics, computer processors, crucibles used in the manufacture of monocrystalline silicon, optical fibers, high-performance ceramics, and specialty glass applications. High-purity silica is typically sourced from deposits of very chemically clean hard rock quartz.

Australian Silica Quartz Group Ltd oversees multiple hard rock quartz and high-grade silica sand projects, each at different stages of development. These projects include hard rock quartz sites such as Mt Eliza (Quartz Hill), Pandanus Creek (White Springs), and Douglas Range in Queensland, Seabrook in Western Australia, as well as silica sand projects in Gingin and Albany, Western Australia. The company seeks to progress and unify these projects to create a long-term, sustainable export business for silica quartz products.