Vanadium does not get fairly as a lot consideration as different vital and battery metals, nevertheless it ought to.
Proof against breakdown from each acid and salt, it provides appreciable energy, warmth resistance and toughness to metal when alloyed. Unsurprisingly, these traits have made vanadium a vital mineral for protection purposes, significantly as vanadium want solely be current in small quantities to impart its advantages. For the previous twenty years, demand for the steel within the metal sector has steadily elevated. With the latest push for clear vitality and net-zero emissions, that demand is ready to rise exponentially.
Australian Vanadium (ASX:AVL, FRA:JT71, OTC:ATVVF), which holds one of the vital superior high-grade vanadium deposits on the planet, has positioned vital concentrate on growing its Australian Vanadium Mission, a high-grade vanadium, titanium and iron useful resource located roughly 43 kilometers south of the mining city of Meekatharra in Western Australia.
Vanadium’s potential goes nicely past building metal. The steel can also be used extensively in a number of industries, together with aerospace, protection and as a chemical catalyst. What’s most notable, nonetheless, is vanadium’s standing as a battery steel, particularly one suited to long-term, large-scale vitality storage.
On no account a brand new expertise, the vanadium redox circulate battery (VRFB) was first invented in 1984 on the College of New South Wales in Australia. Early VRFBs needed to be the scale of roughly one to 2 basketball courts to adequately carry out, however the expertise has been refined through the years since and immediately’s VRFBs are solely a 3rd of the scale of their colossal predecessors, with a considerably larger vitality capability.
As companies and governments search battery storage for large-scale use instances, demand is anticipated to extend additional, with the VRFB market accounting for greater than ten % of all vanadium manufacturing by the tip of 2023. Demand for vanadium is anticipated to double by 2032, with 90 % of this demand pushed by VRFBs.
Australian Vanadium can also be working to domesticate Australia’s burgeoning VRFB market, by way of its wholly owned subsidiary VSUN Vitality. VSUN Vitality’s present tasks embody the set up of a VRFB to energy an industrial chlorinator, as a standalone energy system for a bore pump at a significant nickel undertaking, and to energy the programs at an orchard in Victoria. VSUN Vitality can also be consulting with a number of main mining purchasers.
The main part of a VRFB is vanadium electrolyte. This resolution of vanadium blended with acid and water shall be manufactured by AVL at a facility being constructed within the Perth area.
Each VSUN Vitality and the AVL are a part of Australian Vanadium’s vertically built-in technique, by way of which it intends to help each stage of VRFB manufacturing. This can, the corporate maintains, give it the flexibility to not solely produce the world’s highest-quality vanadium, but in addition tailor that vanadium to its clients’ wants.
Positioned in Western Australia’s Murchison Province, the Australian Vanadium Mission (AVL) consists of 15 tenements protecting roughly 200 sq. kilometers. Upon completion, the undertaking will encompass an open minimize mine and a processing plant close to the port metropolis of Geraldton. Australian Vanadium can also be establishing an electrolyte manufacturing facility which is slated to start manufacturing within the latter a part of 2023.
Located in Perth, the 33MWh each year plant will leverage confirmed expertise sourced from US Vanadium LLC. Australian Vanadium has accomplished an in depth design schematic and ordered lengthy lead tools for the plant.
As one of many world’s most superior in-development vanadium tasks, the AVL Mission has nationwide strategic significance to Australia’s vital mineral provide chains. To that finish, the undertaking has been acknowledged by each the Australian federal authorities and the Western Australian authorities, receiving a number of grants for a mixed complete of roughly $49 million.
The AVL deposit consists of a basal huge magnetite zone overlaid by 5 lower-grade mineralized magnetite-banded gabbro items, every of which is between 5 and 30 meters thick. Vanadium mineralization may be present in each the huge magnetite horizon and the lower-grade gabbro horizons. The deposit is additional divided into kilometer-scale blocks by a sequence of regional scale faults; the blocks present little signal of inner deformation and robust consistency in layering.
In late April 2023, Australian Vanadium’s processing plant was authorized by town of Better Geraldton, pushing the crushing, milling and beneficiation plant one step nearer to commencing building. As soon as accomplished, the plant together with the mine will present high-purity vanadium oxide and an iron-titanium co-product.
Mission Highlights:
- Authorities-recognized: In recognition of its nationwide significance, the AVL Mission was awarded Federal Main Mission Standing by the Australian authorities in September 2019. It was additionally awarded State Lead Company Standing by the Western Australian Authorities in April 2020.
- Promising Feasibility Examine Outcomes: In keeping with a bankable feasibility research launched on April 6, 2022, the undertaking accommodates 239 million tons (Mt) at 0.73 % vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) consisting of:
- measured mineral useful resource of 11.3 Mt at 1.14 % V2O5
- indicated mineral useful resource of 82.4 Mt at 0.70 % V2O5
- inferred mineral useful resource of 145.3 Mt at 0.71 % V2O5
- Excessive-grade Magnetite: Australian Vanadium’s preliminary evaluation of the undertaking additionally signifies the presence of a definite huge magnetite high-grade zone of 95.6 Mt at 1.07 % V2O5.
- Different Minerals: Along with vanadium, the AVL undertaking additionally accommodates estimated cobalt, nickel and copper assets.
- Broad Focus: Moderately than solely focusing on the battery market, Australian Vanadium intends to serve all sectors that require the vital steel. This consists of the metal, titanium master-alloy, aerospace and specialty chemical substances markets.
- Sustainable Manufacturing: Australian Vanadium intends to function its mine ethically and with a low-carbon footprint by way of the usage of photo voltaic and wind era together with electrical or green-hydrogen-fueled automobiles.
- Longevity and Scalability: As soon as operational, the mine can have an estimated lifespan of greater than 25 years, whereas the configuration of the processing facility will enable the corporate to shortly scale manufacturing as essential.
Administration Workforce
Cliff Lawrenson – Non-executive Chair
Cliff Lawrenson has greater than 10 years of expertise as a non-executive chair and non-executive director in each private and non-private corporations. He’s at the moment non-executive chair of Paladin Vitality Ltd (ASX:PDN) and Caspin Assets (ASX:CPN) and non-executive chair of privately owned Pacific Vitality Restricted and Onsite Rental Group.
Lawrenson was managing director of Atlas Iron Ltd from 2017 and led the corporate to its acquisition by Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd. Previous to Atlas Iron, Lawrenson served as managing director of quite a lot of ASX-listed corporations within the mining and mining companies sectors. Lawrenson was additionally a senior government of CMS Vitality Company in america of America and Singapore, preceded by an funding banking profession.
Graham Arvidson – Chief Government Officer
Graham Arvidson has 18 years of expertise within the minerals sector spanning feasibility, analysis, profitable improvement and operation of mineral belongings globally and throughout a broad vary of commodities together with deep expertise in vanadium, lithium, nickel and different future-focused battery metals.
Arvidson has confirmed undertaking improvement experience, a deep Western Australian undertaking improvement community particular to mining, business acumen borne of managing contracts from each the shopper and contractor aspect and intensive undertaking administration expertise in tendering, negotiation, conforming and managing O&M, EPC, EPCM, EPC-O and BOO types of undertaking supply.
Todd Richardson – Chief Working Officer
Todd Richardson BSc ChE MBA is an knowledgeable in vanadium course of design, commissioning and operations with over 20 years’ expertise in vanadium. He has an in depth background in operations administration and technical companies each within the USA and Australia in all phases of plant operation – course of design by way of commissioning, ramp up and operation. Richardson leads the event of AVL’s world-class vanadium undertaking.
Tom Plant – Chief Monetary Officer
Tom Plant is a seasoned chartered accountant and finance government with virtually 30 years of expertise in numerous company and business roles. He has a robust background in debt and fairness funding options, funding analysis and company transactions. Plant not too long ago served as interim CFO at Leo Lithium, which developed the Goulamina Lithium Mission in Mali. Previous to that, he was the CFO at Firefinch and spent 10 years at international mineral sands and uncommon earths producer Iluka Assets. He held numerous positions in funding banking {and professional} companies with Macquarie Group, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and Arthur Andersen.
Daniel Harris – Technical Director
Daniel Harris is a vanadium business veteran and has an understanding of the useful resource sector from each a technical and monetary perspective. He’s at the moment non-executive director of US Vanadium LLC, Queensland Vitality & Minerals (ASX:QEM) and Flinders Mines (ASX:FMS). He’s an advisory board member and vanadium marketing consultant for Blackrock Metals.
Earlier roles embody interim CEO and managing director at Atlas Iron; chief government & working officer at Atlantic; vice-president and head of vanadium belongings at Evraz Group; managing director at Vametco Alloys; common supervisor of vanadium operations at Strategic Minerals Corp and performing as an impartial technical and government marketing consultant to GSA Environmental Restricted in the UK.
Miriam Stanborough – Non-executive Director
Miriam Stanborough is a chemical engineer with over 20 years of expertise within the mineral processing business throughout a spread of commodities. She has held senior roles at Monadelphous, Iluka Assets, Alcoa and WMC Assets. Her talent base spans innovation and expertise, technical improvement, manufacturing administration, undertaking administration, enterprise enchancment and folks and tradition.
Stanborough is at the moment a non-executive director of Pilbara Minerals Restricted (ASX:PLS), BCI Minerals Restricted (ASX:BCI), chair of the Minerals Analysis Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA), deputy chair of the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (NACC), and a director of Scouts WA.
Peter Watson – Non-executive Director
Peter Watson is a chemical engineer with 40 years of expertise in senior technical, undertaking and administration roles along with company expertise operating ASX-listed corporations. He has vital board-level expertise, significantly concerning security, governance, monetary reporting, threat administration and technique.
Watson is at the moment a non-executive director of Paladin Vitality Ltd (ASX:PDN), New Century Assets (ASX:NCZ) and Strandline Assets Restricted (ASX:STA).
Neville Bassett – Firm Secretary
Neville Bassett is a Chartered Accountant working his personal company consulting enterprise, specializing within the space of company, monetary and administration advisory companies. Bassett has been concerned with quite a few public firm listings and capital raisings.
His involvement within the company enviornment has additionally taken in mergers and acquisitions and consists of vital information and publicity to the Australian monetary markets.
Bassett has a wealth of expertise in issues pertaining to the Companies Act, ASX itemizing necessities, company taxation and finance. He’s a director or firm secretary of quite a lot of private and non-private corporations.
Louis Mostert – Chief Authorized and Compliance Officer, Joint Firm Secretary
Louis Mostert has over 20 years of expertise in undertaking contracting and finance, company advisory, mergers and acquisitions, insurance coverage administration, dispute decision, work well being and security, employment and industrial relations, mental property, company governance and compliance.
Mostert graduated from the College of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) and a Bachelor of Legal guidelines (Hons) and has a Diploma of Utilized Company Governance from the Governance Institute of Australia. He’s admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court docket of Western Australia, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries, a fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and a member of the Institute of Firm Administrators.
Samantha McGahan – VSUN Vitality Supervisor
Samantha McGahan BEd (Hons) GAICD has over 25 years expertise in a various vary of industries spanning schooling, regulation and expertise. She has led the event of VSUN Vitality since 2016 and fosters a robust community in each vanadium and vitality markets. Samantha is skilled in advertising and leads each AVL and VSUN Vitality’s social media and advertising methods.
