Palmer may make call on refinery

CLIVE Palmer may be getting close to announcing a restart of his Palmer Nickel and Cobalt Refinery in Townsville.

The controversial businessman and political campaigner will address the North Queensland Club in the city tomorrow and is understood to have told organisers he will be making a “huge” announcement at the event.

A spokesman for the businessman yesterday declined to provide any details but confirmed Mr Palmer planned to make an important announcement in Townsville tomorrow.

The refinery was placed in administration and liquidation in 2016 when nickel prices tanked, throwing about 800 people out of work and leaving about $ 300 million in debts to creditors.

The refinery has been maintained by staff, believed to number about 40 people, since then.

Mr Palmer has committed to reopening the plant, importing nickel ore feedstock and reprocessing tailings at the refinery to extract cobalt.

The refinery’s joint venture ownership companies have been negotiating with the Port of Townsville for access rights to a berth for both imports of ore and exports of metals.

Mr Palmer has promised to employ 100 people as soon as he gets access to a berth.

Earlier this month Mr Palmer said his QNI Resources had received draft contracts from the port, paving the way for a potential recommencement of production within six weeks.

Mr Palmer has also said another of his companies, Blue Star Line, had recommenced plans to build a replica of the Titanic to operate services between London and New York and that Waratah Coal Pty Ltd planned to build a new $ 1.54 billion coal- fired power station near Alpha in Queensland’s Galilee Basin coalfields.