Australian Vanadium (AVL) has announced its vanadium electrolyte facility in the northern suburbs of Perth has completed construction.
The facility is set to produce up to 33 megawatt hours of high purity electrolyte for vanadium flow batteries (VFBs) per year.
The construction of the facility, completed by NRW subsidiary Primero Group, was funded by a $3.69 million Australian Government Modern Manufacturing Initiative grant.
The facility utilises proven electrolyte manufacturing technology which is licensed from US Vanadium LLC (USV) exclusively to AVL in Australia and New Zealand.
“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,” AVL chief executive officer Graham Arvidson said.
“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.
“Production of AVL’s first vanadium electrolyte will position the company to become a trusted supplier for battery projects in Australia and the wider region.”
USV will assist with commissioning of the facility, which is anticipated to be completed early in 2024.
The vanadium electrolyte produced will initially be employed in the VFB projects being developed by AVL’s wholly owned subsidiary, VSUN Energy, which will allow AVL to qualify its product with key global VFB manufacturers.
The vanadium pentoxide for electrolyte manufacture will initially be sourced from USV, prior to supply being available from the company’s Australian vanadium project in WA.
Demand for the critical mineral within the region is expected to grow rapidly over the coming years.
Amidst a $217 million merger with Technology Metals Australia (TMT), AVL is setting itself up for the crunch.
AVL acquired 100 per cent of TMT shares in September with the aim to consolidate as a single Australian-focused vanadium company.
Subscribe to Australian Mining and receive the latest news on product announcements, industry developments, commodities and more.
