- Cook Government delivering Australia's largest vanadium battery in Kalgoorlie
- Strong industry backing for Made in WA battery manufacturing
- Project will deliver local jobs, economic diversification, and strengthen the Goldfields electricity grid
The Cook Government is one step closer to delivering Australia's largest Vanadium Battery Energy Storage System (VBESS) in Kalgoorlie with strong industry interest in the Stage One of the Expression of Interest (EOI).
With more than 20 responses, there is clear industry willingness to invest in all aspects of the vanadium supply chain in Western Australia.
The VBESS is a landmark project for Kalgoorlie, providing jobs, economic diversification, and strengthening the electricity grid in the Goldfields region
The government will provide $150 million to install a 50-megawatt/500 megawatt-hour, WA-made vanadium flow battery.
Stage Two of the EOI will seek detailed business cases with the aim of selecting a preferred proponent in mid-2026 to deliver the VBESS.
Recently, the Cook Government applied a 2.5 per cent royalty rate to vanadium products in a move to incentivise production of the critical mineral in WA and encourage its emerging vanadium battery industry.
The Department of Energy and Economic Diversification is assessing responses and will release further details on the next stage shortly.
As stated by Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson:
"Installing the Vanadium Battery Energy Storage System is a major election commitment under the Cook Government's Made in WA plan, to diversify the economy, enable Western Australia to become a renewable energy powerhouse, and to make more things here.
"We want to partner with industry to deliver local content, great jobs, and real value for WA."
As stated by Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael:
"The strong interest from industry in building the new VBESS follows the State Government's announcement earlier this month providing clarity around royalties for Western Australia's emerging vanadium miners and nascent vanadium battery industry.
"The Cook Government is committed to giving industry the financial confidence and certainty to make the significant investments required to see projects like the VBESS come to fruition."
As stated by Kalgoorlie MLA Ali Kent:
"It is great to see the strong response to the Cook Government's plan to establish a new industry in Kalgoorlie-Boulder while also improving to the region's power reliability.
"A WA-made vanadium battery and local supply chain will deliver jobs and diversification for the region."
