Recently, Australian Vanadium Resources Corporation (AVL) opened its vanadium flow battery electrolyte production plant located in the northern suburbs of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. This factory is mainly used to produce electrolyte for vanadium flow batteries (VRFB) energy storage systems, with an annual production capacity of 33MWh.
This project has received funding from the Australian federal government under its modern manufacturing program. AVL was selected in 2021 to receive an award of AUD 3.69 million (USD 2.48 million), along with seven other companies or projects focused on developing the value chain of Australian resources and key mineral sectors. AVL stated that most of the funds were used for the construction of the new factory.
In addition, AVL is also developing primary vanadium production and processing capabilities, constructing a processing center aimed at producing 13000 tons of vanadium pentoxide flakes annually, and then planning to build a vanadium mine in Western Australia. The latter has been designated by the government as a national important project and is rapidly advancing.
A VL is not the only company in Australia to establish vanadium flow battery electrolyte production: In June 2023, another company, Vecco Group, is expected to spend AUD 26 million to build a vanadium battery manufacturing plant in Townsville, Queensland. The company is also developing both flow battery electrolyte production and primary vanadium extraction facilities. It is expected that the Townsville factory will be much larger than the AVL factory in Perth, with an initial annual production capacity of 175MWh for flow electrolytes, gradually increasing to 350MWh.
In other parts of the world, primary vanadium producers Bushveld Mines from South Africa and Largeo Resources from Brazil are also constructing vanadium electrolyte treatment plants.
Electrolyte is a key material for manufacturing all vanadium flow batteries (VRFB). Currently, China is the largest producer of vanadium flow battery electrolytes and the main force in the global production of all vanadium flow batteries. More and more companies around the world are paying attention to and deploying projects such as primary vanadium extraction, production of vanadium electrolytes, and development of flow battery systems. The inherent advantages of flow batteries, such as high safety, long cycle life, recyclable electrolyte, high cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness, are gradually being recognized by the market and may become the main force in the field of long-term energy storage.