The construction of an electrolyte manufacturing facility for Australian Vanadium Ltd (ASX:AVL, OTCQB:ATVVF) in Western Australia is underway following the appointment of an engineering group to construct the facility and with most long lead items now received.
Australian Vanadium has confirmed that it signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract with Primero Group for the construction of the facility.
The company aims to produce vanadium electrolyte for commercial use in vanadium flow batteries at the facility by November 2023 and is now working on securing offtake agreements for the produced product.
The electrolyte manufacturing facility has been designed to produce up to 33MWh per year of vanadium flow battery high-purity electrolyte.
Equipment for vanadium electrolyte production - bag unit.
A perfect fit
Experienced operations professional Simon Rough has been appointed to manage the facility through construction and into production. Rough has 20 years of processing and operational experience and has safely led high-performing teams in hydro and pyrometallurgical operations, vanadium processing and sulphuric acid production.
Management says Rough’s extensive experience in vanadium processing and sulphuric acid production makes him a perfect fit to lead the team to the successful production of high-quality electrolyte.
Australian Vanadium CEO Graham Arvidson said: “We are pleased to have welcomed Simon onboard to manage the facility and work with the existing team, utilising in-house electrolyte knowledge and relationships that have been built with companies such as [US Vanadium LLC] and [vanadium flow battery] manufacturers.
"The implementation of the electrolyte plant provides an ideal opportunity for AVL to put into practice, test and further mature its systems, processes and management systems that will ultimately underpin the larger Australian Vanadium Project.”
Australian Vanadium holds the exclusive licence of US Vanadium LLC’s process technology for manufacturing vanadium electrolyte for Australia and New Zealand. This technology has been used for the design of the vanadium electrolyte manufacturing facility now being built in Perth.
Vanadium oxide feedstock for the electrolyte facility will be sourced through the company’s agreement with US Vanadium LLC and third-party sources, until production of vanadium oxides from AVL’s Midwest Processing Hub commences.
The company was awarded a $3.69 million Federal Government grant in 2021, part of which was allocated to building and operating a commercial vanadium electrolyte manufacturing facility in Western Australia, to support the commercialisation of vanadium flow batteries.
- by Meagan Evans.