VTM And VRFB Developing In Australia
www.ferroalloynet.com: On the FerroAlloyNet Wuhan13th Vanadium Industry Development Forum, Ian Prentice, Managing Director from Technology Metals Australia Ltd(TMT) mentioned that although Australia didn’t produce vanadium yet, it had the third largest reserves for vanadium resources in the word. And recent Australian government data has increased Australia’s resources to over 6,000 kt V placing Australia second in the world rankings. With these largest reserves resources, it has significant opportunities exist for development of long-term stable supply of vanadium from Australia.
| Country | Economic Resources (kt V) | Percentage of World total | Production (kt V) | Percentage of World total |
| China | 9,500 | 43% | 53 | 62% |
| Russia | 5,000 | 23% | 18 | 21% |
| Australia* | 4,000 | 18% | 0 | 0% |
| South Africa | 3,500 | 16% | 8.2 | 10% |
| Brazil | 120 | 1% | 6.6 | 8% |
| USA | 45 | <1% | – | – |
And right now there are about 22 vanadium deposits in west Australia, north Australia and Queensland. The vanadium project in Australia is divided into vanadium-titanium-magnetite (VTM) in west Australia and SSV in Queensland. And the high grade VTM in the West Australia has dominated the overall vanadium industry in Australia. There are only five companies completed the definitive feasibility study (DFS). Murchison Technology Metals from TMT which has a higher grade at 0.9% V2O5 compared with others, has finished the definitive feasibility study (DFS) in 2019. And Neometals also has fit the DFS on their Barrambie project in 2019 just down the road from TMT. Besides, Windimurra project from Atlantic Ltd, which is the largest vanadium project with JORC resources of 0.49% V2O5 in Australia, also has finished the DFS and is going to put into production in 2022 for the impact of COVID-19.
| Project | Company | Deposit Type | Location | JORC Resource
(Mt @ % V2O5) |
Status |
| Murchison Technology Metals | Technology Metals Australia | VTM | WA | 137 Mt @ 0.9 | DFS 2019 |
| Australian Vanadium | Australian Vanadium | VTM | WA | 208 Mt at 0.74 | PFS 2020 |
| Canegrass | Flinders Mines Ltd | VTM | WA | 79 Mt @ 0.64 | Resource |
| Balla Balla | BBI | VTM | WA | 456 Mt @ 0.64 | DFS 2007 |
| Windimurra | Atlantic Ltd | VTM | WA | 235 Mt @ 0.49 | DFS* |
| Medcalf | Audalia Resources | VTM | WA | 32 Mt @ 0.47 | PFS 2016 |
| Barrambie | Neometals | VTM | WA | 280 Mt @ 0.44 | DFS 2019 |
| Unaly Hill | Surefire Resources NL | VTM | WA | 86 Mt @ 0.40 | Resource |
| Speewah | King River Resources | VTM | WA | 4,712 Mt @ 0.30 | Scoping 2018 |
| Youanmi | Venus Metals | VTM | WA | 330 Mt @ 0.29 | Resource |
| Mount Peake | TNG | VTM | NT | 160 Mt @ 0.28 | DFS 2017 |
| Debella | Vecco Group | SSV | QLD | 175 Mt @ 0.45 | Resource |
| Saint Elmo | Multicom Resources Limited | SSV | QLD | 1,700 Mt @ 0.34 | PFS |
| Richmond | Intermin Resources | SSV | QLD | 2,579 Mt @ 0.32 | Resource |
| Cambridge | Liontown Reosurces | SSV | QLD | 84 Mt @ 0.30 | Resource |
| Julia Creek | QEM | SSV | QLD | 2,760 @ 0.30 | Resource |
Australia also has developed the VRFB with the demands for vanadium in energy emerging and the global carbon commission plan. Right now a large 50MW/200MWh VRFB linked to a 50MW solar farm to be built as part of the Pangea Storage Project in Port Augusta, South Australia.
| Size | Location | Company | Year | Site |
| 30kW, 130kWh | Sydney, NSW | CellCube | 2015 | University of NSW |
| 10kW, 100kWh | Busselton, WA | CellCube | 2016 | Native tree nursery |
| 25kW, 100kWh | Perth, WA | Protean Energy | 2018 | Industrial site |
| 80kW, 320kWh | Meredith, VIC | Avalon Battery | 2019 | Dairy Farm |
| 20kW, 80kWh | Packenham, VIC | Avalon Battery | 2019 | Orchard |
| 180kW, 900kWh | Melbourne, VIC | RedT | 2018 | Monash University |
| Unknown | East Pilbara, WA | Avalon Battery | 2021 | Strelley Community School |
| 5kW. 30kWh | Perth, WA | V-Flow | 2021 | Beverly Caravan Park |
| 5kW. 30kWh | Perth, WA | V-Flow | 2021 | Residential Home |
| 5kW. 30kWh | Perth, WA | V-Flow | 2021 | State Energy Utility |
| In Construction / Planned | ||||
| 50MW, 200MWh | Port Augusta, SA | CellCube | 2023 | Pangea Storage Project |
| 2MW, 8MWh | South Australia | Invinity | 2022 | Yadlamalka |
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