Australian Vanadium partners with Sumitomo on Kalgoorlie battery bid

Australian Vanadium (AVL) has announced that its subsidiary, VSUN Energy, has entered into a pre-bid agreement with Sumitomo Electric in relation to the Kalgoorlie VBESS project.

The Kalgoorlie VBESS project seeks to deliver a locally manufactured 50 MW/10-hour (500 MWh) vanadium flow battery, supported by the Western Australian Government’s stated commitment to invest up to $150 million as part of its long-duration energy storage and local manufacturing objectives. AVL and VSUN Energy have recently submitted an expression of interest (EOI) for the project.

“Sumitomo Electric’s involvement reflects a relationship that has been built over several years of technical collaboration and building of mutual trust,” said AVL’s Chief Executive Officer, Graham Arvidson. “I am proud of the depth of that relationship and the work both organisations have undertaken to reach this point. Through that engagement, we have developed confidence in the reliability and performance of Sumitomo Electric’s vanadium flow battery technology, long-term performance guarantees, and the depth of engineering and financial strength behind them.”

“Sumitomo Electric values long-term partnerships built on trust, technical alignment and shared objectives,” said Sumitomo’s General Manager, Redox Flow Battery Division, Kazuyuki Kamada. “The Kalgoorlie VBESS represents an important opportunity to apply proven vanadium flow battery technology at scale, and we look forward to supporting VSUN Energy through the EOI process.”

Under the agreement, Sumitomo Electric will provide VSUN Energy with a range of VFB technology, engineering and support services for the EOI and bid process for the Kalgoorlie VBESS project. The parties will collaborate closely during the EOI and bid process, with VSUN Energy acting as lead proponent.

The agreement brings together the complementary capabilities of the two organisations and supports AVL’s strategy to develop a domestic vanadium flow battery supply chain combining upstream resources, midstream electrolyte production and downstream battery deployment in Western Australia.

AVL is advancing the development of its Australian Vanadium Project at Gabanintha. The company says the project is one of the most advanced vanadium projects being developed globally, with 395.4 Mt at 0.77% vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅), containing a high-grade zone of 173.2 Mt at 1.09% V₂O₅.

VSUN Energy is AVL’s 100%-owned renewable energy and energy storage subsidiary, which is focused on developing the Australian market for VFBs for long-duration energy storage.

Image credit: iStock.com/Antoine2K