Battery manufacturing company Redflow has received a $1.12 million grant from the Queensland Critical Minerals and Battery Technology Fund.
The fund aims to position Queensland for the next critical minerals boom.
The grant will help Redflow fast-track the development and construction of a large-scale zinc-bromine flow battery prototype, along with a feasibility study for a Queensland facility that focuses on large-scale zinc-bromine flow battery manufacturing.
The new facility is intended to help Redflow meet growing domestic and global demand for long-duration energy storage technologies.
“This feasibility study is the first step in the process towards producing our safe and sustainable batteries in Queensland,” Redflow managing director and chief executive officer Tim Harris said.
“This will help us meet the significant storage needs of Queensland, enable our local customers to procure locally made solutions in line with the (Queensland) Government’s procurement strategy while enabling us to meet the accelerating demand for our global customers.
“The (Queensland) Government has laid out its ambition for the creation of a vibrant battery manufacturing industry in the state and we can play a key role in helping them achieve this.”
Queensland Deputy Premier Cameron Dick congratulated Reflow on receiving the funding.
“Queensland’s clean energy revolution is presenting incredible opportunities for industry, and it’s great to see local ingenuity like Redflow already stepping up to the plate,” Dick said.
“We have significant deposits of the necessary critical minerals, and we want Queensland to be involved in every step through the value chain – from pit to product.
“Redflow is part of our growing local ecosystem of battery technology companies and we are proud to support them to fast-track the development of their tech and potentially manufacturing their products right here in Queensland.”
Redflow’s battery design was developed based on its eco-friendly zinc-based flow-battery technology.
Zinc is considered a strategic mineral in Australia and is essential to the world’s global energy transition, notably for its use in zinc-carbon batteries and zinc-bromide and zinc-nickel power cells.
Subject to a positive financial investment decision, Redflow’s project is expected to be completed in the second half of 2024.
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