Australia’s first utility-scale vanadium battery energy storage system to be built in Kalgoorlie
The Western Australian Government has committed $150 million to deliver Australia’s first locally manufactured, utility-scale vanadium redox flow battery in Kalgoorlie.
This landmark project is designed to strengthen regional energy resilience, support long-duration energy storage solutions, and advance WA’s vanadium and battery manufacturing industries.
As part of the Government’s Made in WA plan, the 50MW/500MWh battery aims to utilise vanadium sourced and processed within the State, creating local jobs, diversifying the economy, and showcasing WA’s innovation and advanced manufacturing capabilities. Located near existing transmission infrastructure, the battery is targeted to be operational by 2029. It will further reinforce Kalgoorlie’s energy system and the South West Interconnected System, WA’s main grid.
The WA Government will conduct an expression of interest process in the second half of 2025 for potential proponents to get involved with the project.
Vanadium is a critical mineral with a growing role in the global transition to renewable energy. Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) offer several advantages over conventional lithium-ion technology, including long lifespan, low flammability, high safety standards, easy scalability, and full recyclability. These attributes make them particularly well suited to WA’s climate, geography, and long-term energy needs.
VRFBs deliver the long-duration energy storage required to stabilise power grids as coal-fired power stations retire and renewable energy capacity expands. Specifically, long-duration energy storage will be able to meet growing evening peak demand requirements by shifting renewable energy generation to later in the evening, and reducing the grid’s reliance on more expensive generation alternatives.
WA’s first grid-scale VRFB, located in Kununurra, was sized at 78kW/220kWh. The battery was commissioned by Horizon Power and delivered by VSUN Energy in November 2024.
WA hosts some of the world’s most significant vanadium deposits. To support the development of a local vanadium supply chain, the WA Government will apply a 2.5 per cent royalty to vanadium products and maintain no royalties for vanadium electrolyte.
By building capacity and capability across the entire value chain – from mining and refining to electrolyte production, battery assembly, and export – WA is positioning itself as a global hub for vanadium production and renewable energy storage technologies.