Graphinex’s plans for the Esmeralda graphite mine, about 70km south of Croydon, are advancing through the approvals pipeline.

Public comment is being invited on the project’s referral under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, with a closing date of April 3.

The proposed open-cut mine would produce up to about 3.5Mtpa of run-of-mine ore over a mine life of about 50 years.

Construction is expected to take 18 months, with mining ramping up over the first three years.

Ore grading about 6 per cent graphite would be processed via conventional flotation methods.

Documents supporting the application state that the area of the MLA involved would be about 4418 ha, while the area of the disturbance footprint is approximately 3025 ha.

Graphite is recognised as a critical mineral by the Queensland and federal governments.

Its applications include use as the anode material in lithium-ion batteries due to its extremely effective conductor qualities.

The Queensland Critical Minerals Prospectus describes the Esmeralda project, spanning nine tenements, as Queensland’s largest graphite resource.

Related: Townsville plant to advance Graphinex battery anode drive

Graphinex plans a demonstration-scale plant for processing graphite concentrate in Townsville with support from the Queensland Critical Minerals and Battery Technology Fund.

The facility will take graphite ore from Esmeralda and process it through to coated active anode material (AAM).

Idemitsu Australia last year announced a strategic investment in Graphinex, accelerating exploration and development activities for the Esmeralda graphite project.