Two large-scale battery storage systems which will help power iron ore mining operations in Western Australia have been commissioned.

Australia wants to leverage its position as a mining and minerals hub to capture opportunities in the battery industry.

Rising demand for batteries, largely coming from the electric vehicle (EV) sector, means raw materials prices continue to be volatile.

The government of Queensland will commit “at least AU$10 million (US$7.21 million)” to building a multi-user vanadium processing plant to capitalise on natural resources in the Australian state.

China has once again been ranked top for involvement in the global lithium-ion battery supply chain by BloombergNEF, but for the first time the US has come in second amid a policy rush to support the domestic industry. 

Australia’s federal government has committed millions of dollars in grants to companies involved in lithium battery and vanadium redox flow battery value chains, as part of a wider pledge to support resources and critical minerals sectors in the country.

Vanadium redox flow battery maker VRB Energy has begun commissioning a 3MW / 12MWh energy storage system project in Hubei, China, which is expected to help serve as a demonstrator for much larger projects to come.