Tivan Achieves Vanadium Electrolyte Milestone at Speewah

Tivan (ASX: TVN) has successfully met the high-purity vanadium electrolyte (VE) specifications of Japanese Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI), marking a step forward for the company's Speewah Vanadium Project.

Vanadium Redox batteries is potentially a grid-scale battery storage solution.

High-Purity Vanadium for Battery Storage

Tivan’s VE test work program, conducted using vanadiferous titanomagnetite (VTM) ore from the Speewah deposit in Western Australia, confirms the project’s potential as a supplier for vanadium flow batteries. The company completed salt roast test work, demonstrating that Speewah’s VTM ore is suitable for processing into high-purity vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅), with the produced material exhibiting electrochemical performance comparable to commercial samples.

The VE testwork was undertaken at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), led by Professor Maria Skyllas-Kazacos, a pioneer in vanadium redox flow battery technology. Notably, all VE samples produced met SEI’s stringent purity requirements across 24 analyzed impurities, reinforcing Speewah’s viability as a strategic source of high-purity VE for the battery industry.

Strategic Importance and Next Steps

Tivan is now evaluating two processing technology pathways for Speewah: its proprietary TIVAN+ process, developed in collaboration with CSIRO, and a conventional salt roast processing flowsheet.

Commenting on the milestone, Tivan Executive Chairman Grant Wilson stated: "Tivan has completed two major testwork programs this week that confirm Speewah's status as Australia's premier dual-resource critical minerals project. With neither Fluorite or Vanadium in domestic production, the opportunity Tivan has to advance a staged-development project is unique and strongly aligned with the Australian Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy and National Battery Strategy.

"Our Vanadium testwork program has confirmed the exceptional amenability of Speewah ore to traditional salt roast technology and the resulting vanadium electrolyte has now met the demanding specification provided by Sumitomo Electric Industries. Speewah has been confirmed as a unique sovereign endowment, ideally placed as a secure source of supply for Australia’s long-duration energy storage requirements."

"This news will be well received in Japan, where the technical and commercialisation challenges for Vanadium Flow Batteries are well understood.”

Market Implications and Industry Outlook

Vanadium flow batteries are gaining traction as a preferred solution for long-duration energy storage, driven by increasing global demand for grid-scale renewable energy integration. Tivan’s successful VE test work aligns with Australia’s Critical Minerals Strategy and National Battery Strategy.