focusIR May 2024 Investor Webinar: Blue Whale, Kavango, Taseko Mines & CQS Natural Resources. Catch up with the webinar here.
https://www.metalbulletin.com/Article/3977362/CHINA-VANADIUM-SNAPSHOT-Prices-surge-on-bullish-sentiment.html
CHINA VANADIUM SNAPSHOT: Prices surge on bullish sentiment
Key data from Fastmarkets’ pricing session in China on Thursday February 25.
Key drivers:
Chinese domestic vanadium alloy producers raised their offer prices significantly last week in response to a bullish overseas market and higher vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) prices. Major V2O5 producers raised their monthly sales price to 107,000 yuan ($16,555) per tonne on a bank acceptance basis, or 105,500 yuan...
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/business-tech/redox-battery-technology-sees-a-comeback/article33955633.ece
Large storage capability, especially in maintaining grid stability, makes it ideal for the renewable energy sector
Six years ago, US-based SunEdison, then a big player in solar energy that also had operations in India, said it would buy 100 MW worth of batteries from another US company called Imergy. These batteries would power hundreds of mini grids in India. SunEdison was doing it as part of its CSR activities. This deal had one uniqueness — the type of the battery used. The mini grids were to be powered by ‘redox flow batteries’, an area that Imergy was a specialist in.
Then SunEdison went bankrupt and its mini grids project in India dissipated into the void. If it had succeeded, it would have given a fillip to redox battery adoption in India. It didn’t, and that storage technology lost mindshare.
But today, there seems to be a redox redux. Indian laboratories are busy working on this; and there is renewed curiosity in the industry...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/28/california-east-orosi-toxic-america-water
An invisible line splits the rural road of Avenue 416 in California’s Tulare county, at the point where the nut trees stretch east toward the towering Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance.
On one side of the line, residents have clean water. On the other side, they do not.
On the other side lies East Orosi, an unincorporated community of about 700 where children grow up learning to never open their eyes or mouths while they shower. They know that what comes out of their faucets may harm them, and parents warn they must not swallow when they brush their teeth...
https://www.metalbulletin.com/Article/3976566/Pangang-halts-some-V2O5-output-for-maintenancesources.html
Pangang halts some V2O5 output for maintenance – sources
China's Pangang Group has paused some vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) production at one of its three blast furnaces to conduct maintenance, a source at the company confirmed to Fastmarkets.
The maintenance started on February 22 and will possibly last for two months, the source said.
Around 1,000 tonnes of V2O5 will be taken out of production over this...
https://www.idtechex.com/en/research-article/idtechex-overview-of-the-redox-flow-battery-market/23108
Over the years, different types of electroactive species have been investigated to increase the efficiency of these systems. The first and most used Redox Flow Battery chemistry is the Vanadium redox flow battery. Initially studied by NASA, and further developed in the 1980's by the research group led by Maria Skyllas-Kazacos at New South Wales in Australia, the Vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) is today the most studied and manufactured technology within the redox flow battery technology. Besides different types of RFBs, the vanadium technology (and similarly the All-Iron RFB) employs the same electroactive species (vanadium) in both electrolytes, with different oxidation states.
The low round-trip efficiency and the high cost of vanadium (directly affecting the cost of the entire system) are two of the main VRFBs' drawbacks. The electrolyte alone accounts for ca.30% to 40% of the overall technology cost. To reduce the effect of vanadium cost on the overall system, an increasing number of companies started collaborations with vanadium mining companies.
Besides RFB manufacturers, some mining companies themselves are also interested in the VRFB technology. This is the case for the South African mining company Bushveld Minerals. Bushveld Minerals is, in fact, actively promoting the adoption of vanadium flow batteries all over Africa. Outside of the African countries, Bushveld backed the merge between two VRFBs manufacturers (the English redT and the American Avalon Battery), and in 2019 announced its participation in the purchase of a consistent share of Enerox-CellCube, previously known as Gildemeister AG
https://finance.sina.cn/tech/2021-02-24/detail-ikftpnny9409301.d.html?fromtech=1&from=wap
There are more than 30 metals that are vital to green energy technology. Among them, aluminum and copper have the largest demand, which are commonly used in turbine blades, wires and electrodes. Cobalt, lithium, nickel and iron are the key components of batteries. More than 60% of the mined cobalt is used to make rechargeable batteries. Rare metals, such as indium and gallium, are widely used in electronic components such as transistors and computer chips. Neodymium and dysprosium are used to make magnets.
In order to achieve renewable energy goals, the demand for these key metals is soaring. According to the Paris Climate Agreement, by 2035, the global production capacity of wind and solar energy needs to double to meet half of the world's energy demand (see go.nature.com/2jvjte7). More energy needs to be stored, which means that the demand for vanadium, nickel, lithium and cobalt will also be greater.
BBC News - Extinction: Freshwater fish in 'catastrophic' decline
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56160756
https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n515?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_term=hootsuite&utm_content=sme&utm_campaign=usage
Not another reality TV programme?
Thankfully, no. I’m referring to human challenge trials in which healthy volunteers are exposed to a pathogen to learn more about the disease it causes and to test vaccines quickly.1
So, this is about covid-19?
Isn’t everything? Yes, you’re right, I’m specifically talking about the world’s first covid-19 human challenge trial that the UK government announced will begin within a month.2
How will it work?
Up to 90 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 30 will be exposed to covid-19 in a “safe and controlled environment” at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
How will they be infected?
Don’t worry, this isn’t a covert excuse for a party. The virus being used has been produced at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, in collaboration with the company hVIVO.
Will the volunteers become unwell?
Stephen Griffin, associate professor in the School of Medicine, University of Leeds, says the volunteers will be given remdesivir as soon as infection is confirmed. He says it’s unlikely that any of the participants will become very sick, but there is still a small risk because existing treatments—such as dexamethasone and tocilizumab—don’t work for everyone. He also noted that even mild infection could cause long term morbidity, even following a relatively mild infection.
It had better be worth it
The aim is to help doctors understand how the immune system reacts to coronavirus and identify factors that influence how the virus is transmitted, including how a person who is infected transmits infectious virus particles into the environment.
So this isn’t about vaccines?
Not yet. But, after this first stage of the trial, vaccine candidates that have proven to be safe in clinical trials could be given to small numbers of volunteers to identify the most effective ones and accelerate their development.
Is this even ethical?
The study was approved by a specially appointed independent research ethics committee. Before this, authors from 1Day Sooner—a non-profit organisation that advocates on behalf of volunteers for a potential covid-19 human challenge trial—debated the matter in The BMJ and cited the principle of “risk parity.”1 “If we allow some people to take certain risks to help save lives then we should allow other people to take similar, voluntary risks when there are comparable benefits,” they said.
Has this been done before?
Yes. Lawrence Young, virologist at the University of Warwick, says human challenge trials have a long history. “They have been used to study infections, treatments, and vaccines for many different organisms ranging from common cold viruses to malaria.”
That’s hopeful?
Fingers crossed. Charlie Weller, head of vaccines at the Wellcome Trust, says this trial could speed up vaccine development and provide key insights into new treatments. “Together, e
https://www.rechargenews.com/technology/long-duration-energy-storage-set-for-very-steep-growth-as-sector-enters-commercial-phase/2-1-966326
Long-duration energy storage set for 'very steep' growth as sector enters commercial phase...
https://www.mysteel.net/article/5021589-0503/Post-CNY-SHFE-rebar-prices-up-on-positive-sentiment.html
Rebar prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) strengthened markedly during February 18 and 19, the first two business days following the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday, SHFE data shows. The uptick mainly reflected the market’s optimism for bar demand over the short term, Mysteel Global noted.
The most traded rebar contract on SHFE for May delivery soared Yuan 138/tonne ($21.3/t) from the settlement price of February 10, the last working day before CNY, to close the day-time trading session on February 19 at Yuan 4,524/t. China’s steel physical market also witnessed a similar trend, with Mysteel’s national
https://www.mysteel.net/article/5021565-0503/DAILY--China-rebar-price-soars-19t-first-day-post-CNY.html
On February 18, the first working day after the Chinese New Year holiday in China, the country’s HRB400 20mm dia rebar price soared by Yuan 120/tonne ($18.5/t) from February 10 to Yuan 4,478/t including the 13% VAT, according to Mysteel’s assessment, in tandem with the price surges in both billet and iron ore on the same day.
Over February18, the Tangshan Q235 150mm square billet price in North China’s Hebei province, a barometer of China’s steel market sentiment, surged Yuan230/t to Yuan 4,080/tEXW including the VAT, and the margins for billet, thus, returned to the positive zone from losses around the CNY period due to higher production
https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/news/iit-delhi-zero-emission-battery-vrfb-technology-534577.html
Under its Smart Campus Initiative, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi recently inaugurated an environmental-friendly charging station for electronic devices within the campus.
The new charging outlet comes from the efforts of IIT Delhi’s Sustainable Environergy Research Lab (SERL) at the Department of Chemical Engineering.
The charging station is based on Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) technology. VRFB utilizes liquid electrolyte to store electrical energy. During charging, the electrical energy is stored in the liquid electrolyte and during discharging the stored energy is used for various applications like charging portable electronic devices including mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and power banks.
The big plus of the VRFB is that it can efficiently store and utilize renewable energy for a wide range of applications such as rural electrification, e-vehicle charging station, domestic and commercial power back-up etc. leading to zero carbon footprint.
It is non-polluting (no emissions), easily scalable, safe and environmentally friendly, and highly durable. One of the major differences between the flow and conventional battery is the independent scaling of power and energy capacity.
The VRFB can store energy from kWh to MWh range and is suitable for long discharge time with low cost in contrast to the conventional battery. The technology is highly suitable wherever diesel generators are used.
Now deployed at the IIT Delhi campus, the VRFB charging station provides various charging ports to the students, faculty and the visitors alike. The team has designed it for charging operation of around 9 hours in a day.
Dr Anil Verma, Professor at Chemical Engineering Department, IIT Delhi said that the research group led by him developed the 2nd generation prototype in the SERL. In a recent university release, he informed that the group is working on a kW level battery stack. The project is funded by DST, MHRD, and IIT Delhi.
https://www.miningmx.com/top-story/45149-mick-davis-launches-vision-blue-resources-in-effort-to-chase-down-battery-assets/
FORMER Xstrata CEO, Mick Davis, has announced plans to build a graphite mine in Madagascar through his newly founded Vision Blue Resources (VBR) – a company that has raised $60m from investors to chase down battery metals assets.
VBR will invest $29.5m of the $60m raised in NextSource Materials, a company that has 100% ownership of the Molo Project in southern Madagascar. The project is billed as “… one of the largest known and highest quality deposits” of flake graphite globally. In its first phase, Molo will produce 17,000 tons a year of 98% purity graphite.
Davis said he was heartened by the financial support so far and promised more financings later this year. “We have also received significant additional expressions of interest to invest in VBR’s future fundraisings and we expect to return to the market later in 2021.”
Davis said demand for battery metals, which include a host of materials from vanadium through to copper and cobalt, would “… dwarf anything the mining industry has ever seen before, including the commodity impact of China’s industrialisation in the last 20 years”.
https://www.energylivenews.com/2021/02/08/uk-battery-storage-pipeline-surpasses-16gw/
More than 16.1GW of battery storage capacity is operating, under construction or being planned in the UK across 729 projects.
That compares to a total pipeline of 10.5GW across 600 energy storage projects in December 2019, according to RenewableUK.
The trade association’s new report finds the market has increased rapidly as 1.1GW of battery storage capacity is currently operational compared to 0.7GW identified in December 2019.
According to the research, a further 0.6GW is under construction, 8.3GW of capacity has secured consent and 1.6GW is in the planning system.
In addition, nearly 4.5GW are identified as being at an early stage of development for future submission into the planning system.
RenewableUK’s Director of Future Electricity Systems Barnaby Wharton said: “We’re already seeing grid-scale batteries of 50MW being built, providing valuable flexibility to the grid, and we expect many projects with an even larger capacity will be submitted into the planning system following the removal of the 50MW cap.
“There’s no doubt that the energy storage market will continue to grow as we scale up using a variety of innovative technologies – not just lithium batteries but also flywheels, compressed air, liquid air and gravity-based storage. This cutting-edge technology is another example of how the UK is a world leader in building modern power systems.
“However, many of our projects need access to capital at a lower cost and more stable revenues
https://news.sky.com/story/bp-blows-away-bid-rivals-with-big-bet-on-wind-farms-12212580
The energy giant and its German partner will pay £924m for the option to develop two sites - but the price may concern investors...
One of the world's biggest market makers in commodities;
https://www.marexspectron.com/
2. Energy storage area The energy storage area covers an area of ??0.8hm2, and the construction form is a battery insulation room, and the battery insulation room has a construction area of ??7,500m2. The energy storage system adopts the all-vanadium redox flow battery system scheme, and the work form is peak-valley adjustment, that is, when the power generation of the Sengetu wind farm is at a peak, the all-vanadium redox battery system is charged, and when the power generation of the wind farm is low, Power is sent to the outside by the all-vanadium flow battery system. The construction scale of the energy storage system in this phase is 2MW/8MWh, and the final construction scale is 3MW/12MWh.
3. In order to protect the local ecological environment in the collection line area, the 35kV line in the wind farm adopts direct-buried cable laying. According to the combination of the layout, capacity and 35kV line direction of the wind power generators, the wind power generators are grouped and connected by collecting lines in the form of directly buried cables.
http://mchuneng.bjx.com.cn/mnews/20210204/1134666.shtml
Polaris Energy Storage Network learned that, recently, the Chengde City Government of Hebei Province issued a public announcement on the first phase of the Fengning Senjitu All-vanadium Redox Flow Battery Wind Storage Demonstration Project of Dongliang Wind Farm. The annex shows that the wind power storage project will use all-vanadium liquid. The flow battery lip dry system scheme is adjusted for peak and valley, the first-phase energy storage scale is 2MW/8MWh, and the final energy storage scale is 3MW/12MWh.
The first phase of the Fengning Senjitu All-vanadium Redox Flow Battery Wind Storage Demonstration Project of Dongliang Wind Farm (hereinafter referred to as Senjitu Wind Farm) is a large (2)-type wind power project invested and constructed by Hebei Fengning Construction Investment New Energy Co., Ltd. It is a new project. The total installed capacity of the Senjitu Wind Farm is 100MW, and the engineering grade is II, with a total of 30 wind turbines installed. The construction content of the project includes wind turbine area, energy storage area, collection line, road, construction area, etc. The total investment of the project is 969,012,700 yuan, of which the civil construction investment is 940.09 million yuan; the construction period is 13 months.
The construction content of this project mainly includes five parts: wind turbine area, energy storage area, collection line area, road area, and construction living area.
1. In the fan area, 30 wind turbines are installed in this project, with an installed capacity of 100MVA, and the outlet voltage of the generators is 0.69kV. The connection between the wind turbine and the box-type transformer adopts the unit wiring method of one machine and one transformer, and the 0.6/1kV low-voltage cable is directly buried and connected between the wind turbine and the box-type transformer. The box-type transformer adopts an American box-type transformer with a capacity of 2300kVA, which is evenly distributed at a distance of about 15m from the wind turbine; the high-voltage side of the box-type transformer uses 35kV voltage level. In order to meet the construction hoisting needs of wind turbines, a construction hoisting site is set next to the foundation of each wind turbine and connected to the construction road in the site.
For anyone who fancies a read;
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Naked-Short-Selling-The-Truth-Is-Much-Worse-Than-You-Have-Been-Told.html
https://www.metalbulletin.com/Article/3973399/Tin/RESEARCH-Ore-and-alloy-prices-forecast-to-maintain-momentum-through-Q1.html
We maintain a positive view for vanadium demand in 2021, supported by continued expansion in global economies recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and the positive benefits of government stimulus efforts, particularly with regard to infrastructure spending and in turn rebar and vanadium consumption. While comprising only a small portion of total vanadium demand, growing focus on green and renewable energy - given another boost by the new presidential administration in the United States and the need for battery storage for renewable energy sources - will support vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) technology and also spur higher demand for vanadium from the energy sector during 2021 and beyond. We forecast vanadium prices to remain elevated through the first quarter on tight supply and strengthening demand from steelmakers.
Given current technology, the best replacement for the lithium-ion battery is a vanadium flow battery. Vanadium flow batteries have several advantages over their predecessors: their useful lifespan is over 25 years, they can fully charge and discharge without degrading, and recycled vanadium is just as effective as freshly mined vanadium in batteries. With vanadium flow batteries, mining will only be necessary to bring new batteries online, not to replace old ones. Everything considered, vanadium flow batteries are the sustainable choice for renewable energy companies to use. Investing in a greener future goes beyond energy sources