What is the latest status of the project “Thunderbird Mine Zirconium Project”?

The status recorded for “Thunderbird Mine Zirconium Project” is under construction.

What is the budget and commercial profile for the project “Thunderbird Mine Zirconium Project”?

Taiyo normalizes the budget of “Thunderbird Mine Zirconium Project” to USD 110938880.

Where can I verify the source and access all details for “Thunderbird Mine Zirconium Project”?

This Taiyo project page references Australian Broadcasting Corporation along with the original URL (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-03/china-critical-mineral-nuclear-program-australia-supplying/105951072). Taiyo standardizes official data into a consistent, searchable project profile.

Thunderbird Mine Zirconium Project

Sector: Nuclear • Location: Broome, Western Australia, Australia

Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Project

Under Construction

The Thunderbird Mine near Broome in north-west Western Australia is a major source of zirconium, a critical mineral used in hypersonic missiles and nuclear programs. The mine is partly owned by Chinese company Yansteel, which purchased a 50% share in 2020. The mine sells 100% of its production to China and received a $160 million concessional loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facilit

Status: Under Construction
Sector: Nuclear
Location: Broome, Western Australia, Australia
Updated: 22 Jul 2026
Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

ConstructChat

Ask ConstructChat about Thunderbird Mine Zirconium Project

Pick a question to edit it, or write your own.

First answer free · no account

I am a

Project Information

4 Q

The project “Thunderbird Mine Zirconium Project” is an infrastructure initiative in the Nuclear sector, located in Broome, Western Australia, Australia. Taiyo aggregates data on it from Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Participants

Not available for this record.

Status

Original status	under construction
Taiyo status	Under Construction
Taiyo last update	2026-07-22

Contact

Not available for this record.

Description

Description	The Thunderbird Mine near Broome in north-west Western Australia is a major source of zirconium, a critical mineral used in hypersonic missiles and nuclear programs. The mine is partly owned by Chinese company Yansteel, which purchased a 50% share in 2020. The mine sells 100% of its production to China and received a $160 million concessional loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) in 2022 to help it into production.
Original sector	Mining and Minerals
Budget

Location

Country	Australia
State	Western Australia
City	Broome

Source

Source	Australian Broadcasting Corporation
URL

More Details

Record type	Project
Sector	Nuclear
Article published date	2025-11-05

Research

Free account

View all details

You are reading the public part. A free account opens the rest:

Every detail on this project
News and media coverage
Technical research

View all details

Free account · no card · lands you back on this project

Thunderbird Mine Zirconium Project

Ask ConstructChat about Thunderbird Mine Zirconium Project

Project Information FAQ

Project Information

Research

View all details

More Nuclear projects in Australia