Idemitsu Plans 864 MWh Vanadium Flow Battery at Australian Coal Mine Site

Plans are underway to install a large vanadium flow battery at a former coal mine in Australia. The Australian arm of Japanese energy company Idemitsu Kosan is planning to install a 108 MW/864 MWh vanadium flow battery at the former Muswellbrook coal mine in New South Wales.

The project, which will be located at the Muswellbrook Coal Mine that closed in 2022, will be connected to Ausgrid's 132 kV Sandy Creek substation. Idemitsu highlighted the advantages of the vanadium redox flow battery, including "a safe and stable electrolyte, negligible battery degradation over 30 years, and flexible storage duration."

Vanadium redox flow batteries are a technology developed in 1984 at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, designed to have a project life of over 30 years. Idemitsu noted that the project will use vanadium electrolyte produced in Australia and will explore opportunities to bring battery manufacturing to Australia.

Construction on the project is expected to begin in early 2028 and will take approximately two years to complete. The installation of the vanadium flow battery is part of Idemitsu's plans to transform the Muswellbrook coal mine into a renewable energy hub, which also includes the development of solar energy and pumped hydro energy storage.

Idemitsu is working with Swedish renewable energy developer OX2 on a 135 MW solar farm and a 135 MW/270 MWh battery project. The company is also collaborating with energy producer and retailer AGL on a 400 MW pumped hydro energy storage project.

Idemitsu noted that the Muswellbrook Clean Industries Precinct demonstrates how former mining assets can be repurposed for long-duration energy storage, regional jobs, and future industries.

Source: PV Magazine