Construction begins on Tasmanian hydrogen fluoride pilot plant

ABx Group Limited, via 83%-owned subsidiary ALCORE Limited, has announced that its hydrogen fluoride pilot plant in Bell Bay Tasmania has entered the construction phase, and the company has submitted the Environmental Effects Report (EER) for the plant to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Tasmania.

The company says that the establishment of the pilot plant is proceeding well, encompassing minor civil works, site power upgrade, equipment design and manufacture, and balance-of-plant design. The first equipment will be delivered to site in April. Equipment delivery and assembly is planned for Q2 and Q3 2026, with commissioning expected to commence in late Q3 2026.

Hydrogen fluoride is a precursor chemical for aluminium fluoride, refrigerants, fluoropolymers and battery chemicals, and is essential in the manufacturing processes for semiconductors and solar cells. The global market for hydrogen fluoride is over US$3 billion.

Hydrogen fluoride is mainly produced from fluorspar, which is obtained from the mineral fluorite. Australia does not mine any fluorite, or produce any fluorspar, hydrogen fluoride or fluorochemicals, and so must import all its requirements. Notably, Australia is the world’s largest producer of aluminium metal without domestic aluminium fluoride production, an essential chemical for aluminium smelting. In 2024, China produced 79% of the world’s acidspar, the grade of fluorspar required for hydrogen fluoride production.

“The submission of the Environmental Effects Report is another important milestone for our project,” said Dr Mark Cooksey, Managing Director and CEO of ABx Group. “We have endeavoured to implement a best-practice approach to environmental management, and we look forward to feedback from the EPA.

“The pilot plant itself is proceeding well. We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the first equipment in April, and to see our vision become a physical reality.”

Because of the importance of fluorochemicals and the supply risks, fluorspar (or fluorine) is recognised as a critical mineral by Australia, the United States, Europe, Japan and Canada. The company says the ALCORE process for hydrogen fluoride production provides a solution to Australia’s strategic supply risk for hydrogen fluoride and fluorochemicals.

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