China to host 1.6 GW vanadium flow battery manufacturing complex

Chinese vanadium redox flow battery specialist Hunan Yinfeng New Energy is looking to invest CNY 11.5 billion ($1.63 billion) in the development of a major manufacturing facility in Inner Mongolia.

The project is expected to play a major role in promoting the adoption of vanadium redox flow batteries, one of the most promising large-scale energy storage technologies due to their long cycle life, exceptional safety, and environmental credentials.

Hunan Yinfeng inked late last month a strategic agreement with the Baotou City Government and Jiuyuan District Government to develop an all-vanadium liquid flow industrial park project, which will be delivered in two phases.

A CNY 2 billion investment will go into building a 300 MW all-vanadium liquid flow electric stack and system integration production line, alongside facilities to produce 100,000 cubic meters of all-vanadium liquid flow electrolyte and 10,000 ton of high-purity vanadium pentoxide.

The second phase will involve a larger CNY 9.5 billion investment which will go into building a 1.3 GW of all-vanadium liquid flow electric stack and system integration production line alongside facilities to produce 500,000 cubic meters of all-vanadium liquid flow electrolyte and 10,000 tons of high-purity vanadium pentoxide.

Baotou’s New Materials Industrial Park, which will host this project, has pledged to provide the necessary infrastructure and resources, to ensure timely delivery of Phase 1. The project timeline has not been disclosed.

According to the stakeholder, the project is projected to generate an annual output value of CNY 22.5 billion and CNY 1.7 billion in tax revenue.

Through this large-scale investment in vanadium flow battery technology, Baotou and the wider Inner Mongolia region will become home to an integrated industry cluster that spans the entire vanadium battery supply chain — from upstream raw materials to downstream applications such as energy storage and grid frequency regulation.

In a separate announcement, Sichuan Development Xingneng has pledged to build the largest vanadium flow electrolyte base in China.

The company said it will invest in the construction of a state-of-the-art vanadium electrolyte production line with an annual capacity of 120,000 cubic meters in the city of Panzhihua, colloquially known as China’s Vanadium Capital.

The facility will be located in the Vanadium Titanium High-tech Zone, which has emerged as the hub of vanadium flow battery storage activity in China. Over the years, the zone has become home to major projects such as China Power Investment’s 100 MW/500 MWh vanadium flow battery energy storage facility and Pangang Electrolyte Company’s vanadium electrolyte project with an annual output of 2,000 cubic meters.

The new facility will be developed based on an agreement inked in mid-September between Sichuan Development and the Panzhihua municipal government, which aims to build a complete vanadium-based industrial chain, from resource extraction to final product application.