Construction of a vanadium electrolyte manufacturing facility in Western Australia is now complete.
Australian Vanadium Limited (AVL) announced the completion of the facility, located in the northern suburbs of Perth. The facility has been designed to produce up to 33MWh per year of high purity electrolyte for vanadium flow batteries (VFBs).
CEO of AVL, Graham Arvidson, said, “We are pleased to have been able to successfully and safely execute another segment of our ‘pit to battery’ strategy through the construction of Western Australia’s first vanadium electrolyte manufacturing facility.”
The construction of the facility was supported by a $3.6 million Modern Manufacturing Initiative grant by the federal government, which demonstrates the value of investing in domestic downstream processing capability, allowing more value from Western Australia’s battery mineral endowment to be captured and retained in Australia.
Construction of the facility was undertaken by Western Australian-based engineering company Primero Group and was completed without injury. AVL has issued a certificate of practical completion to Primero Group, which allows for the formal handover of the facility from the construction team to the commissioning team.
“We are grateful to the teams at Primero and USV for their contributions in delivering a facility that is the first of its kind for Western Australia,” Mr Arvidson said.
The vanadium electrolyte manufacturing facility utilises proven electrolyte manufacturing technology which is licensed from US Vanadium LLC exclusively to AVL in Australia and New Zealand. Using this technology greatly reduced the development risk for the facility.
USV will assist with commissioning of the Facility, which is anticipated to be completed in early 2024.
The vanadium electrolyte produced by the facility will initially be employed in the VFB projects being developed by AVL’s wholly owned subsidiary, VSUN Energy Pty Ltd, and will allow AVL to qualify its product with key global VFB manufacturers.
Demand for vanadium electrolyte within the region is expected to grow rapidly over the coming years. According to Guidehouse Insights, “Asia Pacific leads significantly, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.7 per cent for revenue and 37.4 per cent for energy capacity. By 2031, it is estimated that Asia Pacific will reach around 14.5 GWh of annual VFB energy capacity.”
Construction and subsequent operation of the facility ensures that AVL remains engaged with downstream aspects of the vanadium and VFB markets.
Vanadium pentoxide for electrolyte manufacture will initially be sourced from USV, prior to supply being available from the AVL’s Australian Vanadium Project in Western Australia. The experience gained from the construction of the vanadium electrolyte manufacturing facility is anticipated to be of great use in the construction of the Australian Vanadium Project.
“Production of AVL’s first vanadium electrolyte will position AVL to become a trusted supplier for battery projects in Australia and the wider region,” Mr Arvidson said.
