Australia Speeds Up Its Vanadium Power Play

WA’s vanadium project wins planning approval, boosting hopes for an integrated battery supply chain

17 Oct 2025

Australia is taking a decisive step toward a stronger foothold in the global battery race. A Western Australian developer has won planning approval for a major vanadium processing plant, setting the stage for one of the country’s first integrated mining-to-battery ventures.

The Western Australian Planning Commission has cleared the development of the Tenindewa processing facility, about 65 kilometers east of Geraldton. With approval in hand, the company can now move into detailed engineering, pursue secondary permits, and line up financing. Vanadium ore will be mined nearby, refined at Tenindewa, and converted into electrolyte at a Perth plant for use in vanadium flow batteries.

This effort aims to close Australia’s persistent “midstream gap,” where raw minerals are typically shipped offshore for processing. By keeping more of the value chain at home, Australia hopes to strengthen supply resilience and advance its clean energy ambitions.

Australian Vanadium Limited (AVL) expects construction could start in 2025, with first production in 2026, pending funding and regulatory approvals. As always, capital costs, commodity price swings, and bureaucratic hurdles could slow progress.

AVL chief executive Graham Arvidson called the planning nod “a landmark moment for Australia’s energy security and critical minerals strategy.” The project fits neatly into state and federal pushes to refine more battery materials domestically and foster a sustainable energy-storage industry.

If the plan succeeds, local vanadium refining could cut transport costs, tighten quality control, and help spark a manufacturing cluster focused on grid-scale storage.

Challenges remain, but this approval signals more than bureaucratic progress. It reflects growing confidence in Australia’s ability to move beyond exporting raw resources and toward becoming a key player in the global clean-tech supply chain. The Tenindewa project could set the template for future ventures in nickel, cobalt, and other strategic metals, strengthening Australia’s role in the energy transition.