The Western Australian Government is moving ahead with its landmark plan to build a large-scale vanadium battery in Kalgoorlie, opening the door for industry partners to join the state’s emerging clean-energy ecosystem.
This major battery installation is a central component of the Made in WA initiative, a strategy designed to diversify the state’s economy while accelerating its leadership in renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.
The vanadium battery energy storage system, or VBESS, will be the largest of its kind in Australia. By relying on locally mined and processed vanadium, the project aims to kickstart a fully integrated supply chain—one that connects mining, processing, manufacturing, and long-duration energy storage.
At the heart of the project is the construction of a 50-megawatt/500-megawatt-hour vanadium flow battery, engineered to discharge for up to 10 hours and manufactured entirely within Western Australia. The initiative has secured significant government funding, underscoring its strategic importance to the state’s energy transition.
The first phase of a two-stage expression-of-interest process is now underway, giving project leaders the opportunity to identify local capabilities and potential industry collaborators. The second stage will assess detailed business proposals from prospective partners.
The state’s Energy and Decarbonisation Minister described the project as a significant step forward for regional energy security and economic development.
“A locally made and sourced vanadium flow battery will create jobs during construction, deliver improved energy resilience for the region, and complement major upgrades planned for the Goldfields,” she said.
She added that long-duration energy storage will become increasingly vital as Western Australia continues to modernise its grid and expand renewable power generation.
Designed to support the state’s clean-energy ambitions while strengthening local industry, the Kalgoorlie vanadium battery project represents one of the most promising opportunities yet for building a robust Australian supply chain around a critical mineral with global demand.
