Australian Vanadium Companies Unveil New Flow-battery Strategies
Australian Vanadium filed a patent application this week for its vanadium processing route, while rival TNG signed a deal to commercialize vanadium redox flow batteries.
Image: Redflow
Vanadium redox flow batteries are still not major technologies in the Australian energy storage market, even though they were first developed on Australian soil almost 40 years ago. But this week, in a strange synchronicity, two Australian vanadium producers announced new strategic plans.
TNG Limited, anAustralian mining technology company that owns the Mount Peake vanadium-titanium-iron project, said this week that it has agreed to set up a joint venture with Singapore-based vanadium redox flow battery manufacturer V-Flow Tech. They will collaborate on the development and delivery of new energy power systems, underpinned by vanadium redox flow batteries. V-Flow will supply the battery systems, while TNG will supply high-purity vanadium electrolyte to operate them.
The vanadium electrolyte will be produced at TNG’s Mount Peake project, 230 km north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. The site is set to produce around 6,000 tons of vanadium pentoxide for vanadium redox flow batteries. TNG said the joint venture represents a major step toward in achieving its vision of becoming a commercial supplier of vanadium redox flow battery systems in Australia.
Australian Vanadium, meanwhile, also announced plans this week to become a commercial supplier of vanadium flow batteries in Australia. It is now developing a new strategy under its VSUN unit. Australian Vanadium is also following in TNG’s footsteps, as it has filed a patent application for its vanadium processing route.
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