Sitting pretty for plant

LIPSTICK, facial creams and perfume could all be made from North Queensland- grown sugarcane as Townsville rolls out the welcome mat for California- based company Amyris Inc.

The city is one of three potentional sites in regional Queensland for a factory turning sugarcane biomass into high- end make- up and perfumes for the Asian market.

The fact that a total of 13 million tonnes of sugarcane is grown just to the north and south of Townsville places the city firmly in the sights of the multinational bio- refiner.

Townsville Enterprise is already running with a plan to get the company to Townsville.

CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said an invitation had been extended through Minister assisting the Premier on North Queensland Coralee O’Rourke urging Amyris to set up its Australian manufacturing base in Townsville.

“This is a really exciting op- portunity,” Ms O’Callaghan said. “Townsville is the most strategic option for the location of the company.”

The industrial bioscience company wants to develop a new plant producing the ingredient farnesene, used in the manufacture of cosmetic emollients, vitamins, fragrances, polymers and lubricants.

The Bulletin understands the company is also considering Bundaberg and Mackay as possible locations for a factory.

The company first came to the attention of the State Government in December last year when it registered interests in the state’s Biofuture’s Acceleration Program, which offers support to companies looking to build commercial biorefin- eries in regional Queensland.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Amyris was looking to relocate its successful Brazil biorefinery and saw Queensland as “an ideal location” due to the abundance of sugarcane and its close proximity to Asia.

Amyris president and CEO John Melo said growing demand in China for vitamins and in other parts of Asia for cosmetics and fragrances supported the need for a farnesene fermentation factory in Queensland.

Ms O’Callaghan said Townsville had available land, international airport facilities, a world- class port and an abundance of cane on its doorstep.

“We believe we are the most strategic option. We support this new industry coming to Townsville and see it as a way of the future,” she said.

Townsville MP Scott Stewart said the fact Amyris was considering Townsville as a site reflected the city’s diverse economic base and its ability to welcome new industries.

“It shows how flexible we are it comes to world markets and that we are always open to new ideas,” Mr Stewart said.