Lower prices of vanadium, a metal mainly known for strengthening steel, are key in the drive to increase its use in the booming battery sector, according to the developer of an Australian mine. The metal’s retreat from a price spike in 2018 is being welcomed – rather than lamented – by producers as they seek to extend vanadium’s use in large-scale energy storage batteries, according to Vincent Algar, MD of Australian Vanadium, which plans to bring its project into production by about 2021.
