The latest round of Queensland’s Collaborative Exploration Initiative (CEI) grants programme to support explorers looking for the next critical mineral deposit has opened.
The grants programme will be focused on exploration for critical minerals.
“Queensland has significant resources of the critical minerals the world needs to decarbonise and through these grants we are helping back companies to find those deposits,” said Resources Minister Scott Stewart.
The CEI programme builds on the Queensland Critical Minerals Strategy, which among a number of initiatives has reduced rent for new and existing exploration permits for minerals to A$0 for the next five years, which is worth A$55-million.
It also builds on the A$50-billion Copperstring 2032 project, which will help unlock potentially A$500-billion of critical mineral projects in the North West Minerals province.
“Exploration is the lifeblood of the resources industry and the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the confidence explorers have in Queensland.
“To the end of June overall exploration was up 4.4% to A$770.6-million, with exploration for copper deposits up 16.7%.
“We know the mineral exploration projects being done today have the potential to be our mining projects of the future which is why these grants are so important,” said Stewart.