State boost for home-grown battery technology

The State Government is investing $24 million into Queensland battery projects using zinc-bromine and iron flow technologies, including a venture that plans to make electrolyte solution in Townsville. The pilot project covers a $12 million zinc-bromine flow battery from Redflow, with the preferred site identified at Ipswich, plus a $12 million iron flow battery from Energy Storage Industries - Asia Pacific (ESI), with the preferred site in the Wide Bay region. ESI is establishing a $70 million battery assembly facility in Maryborough and plans to make the required electrolyte solution in Townsville in joint venture with another company. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the projects built on the government's commitment to trial a vanadium flow battery in partnership with Townsville manufacturer Vecco Group and Sumitomo Electric. Related: Townsville charged up as battery supply base “If we don’t back investment in batteries in Queensland we will see investment go offshore," she said. “Our government is backing local manufacturing of batteries because that means more jobs across more regions in Queensland.” Redflow said its contract to supply 4MWh of zinc-bromine flow battery energy storage to Energy Queensland was expected to be concluded by the end of the August and would bring about $3.5 million revenue. Chief executive officer and managing director Tim Harris said he believed that Redflow's batteries had a critical role in the energy transition required to meet the reduction targets in Queensland. “Our technology is proudly developed in Queensland, where we have invested for over 15 years into delivering our world-leading zinc-bromine flow battery solution," he said. "Significant amounts of stationary storage will be required to meet the Queensland Government’s strategic plan and deliver the Queensland Energy and Jobs plan, which targets 70 per cent renewable energy penetration by 2032.” Related: Brisbane company tackles big battery recycling ESI managing director Stuart Parry said the company looked forward to working with Energy Queensland to deliver the pilot project as an important step in bringing its sustainable energy storage technology to scale and underpinning Queensland’s energy transformation. In January an ESI battery completed commissioning at the National Battery Testing Centre at Banyo in Brisbane, where it demonstrated its capabilities to capture surplus energy and return it to the grid at peak times. From 2024 onwards the company plans to assemble iron flow batteries at its manufacturing plant in Maryborough, where construction kicked off in mid-2022.

State boost for home-grown battery technology

Industry Queensland

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