- Expressions of Interest open for Kalgoorlie's Vanadium Battery Energy Storage System
- Backed by $150 million government funding, battery to be largest of its kind in Australia
- Project another part of Cook Government's Made in WA plan to create jobs and drive economic diversification
The Cook Government is backing the delivery of a WA-made vanadium battery for Kalgoorlie, creating jobs, strengthening regional power reliability and supporting the establishment of a new industry for Western Australia.
Installing a Vanadium Battery Energy Storage System (VBESS) 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.
The VBESS will be the largest of its kind in Australia and has the potential to help grow WA's advanced manufacturing industry and support the development of a new local supply chain around vanadium mining, processing and flow battery technology.
The project will be supported by $150 million in government funding.
The first part of a two-stage Expression of Interest opens today and runs until 30 January 2026, to identify and understand existing capabilities in the market. It is not part of a procurement process.
The government wants local businesses to play a role in delivering the project, working with industry to determine practical and achievable local content outcomes.
The project will involve the installation of a 50-megawatt/500 megawatt-hour, WA-made vanadium flow battery using locally sourced and processed vanadium capable of discharging for up to 10 hours.
Vanadium flow batteries are fire resistant, efficient in WA's hot climate, recyclable and scalable.
Stage Two of the EOI process, to be held in early-to-mid 2026, will evaluate detailed business cases, with the aim of selecting a preferred proponent to deliver the VBESS project.
More information is available on the Energy Policy WA website .
As stated by Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson:
"This EOI kicks off a major project that will boost power reliability in the Goldfields and support our clean energy transition.
"We want to partner with industry to deliver local content, great jobs, and real value for WA. A locally made and sourced vanadium flow battery will create jobs during construction, deliver improved energy resilience for the region and complement other planned upgrades in the Goldfields region.
"Long-duration storage projects like this will play a bigger role as we build a more resilient energy system for the future."
As stated by Kalgoorlie MLA Ali Kent:
"I'm thrilled to see this step in the development of a locally manufactured Vanadium Battery Energy Storage System right here in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. This is an incredibly exciting milestone for our region, and I'm proud to see the Cook Government committing $150 million to make this project a reality.
"The vanadium project is a gamechanger for the Goldfields' energy future and it positions Kalgoorlie-Boulder at the forefront of innovation, showcasing our capacity to lead in advanced battery manufacturing, creating local jobs and diversifying our local economy."
