PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Australian Vanadium has launched a green hydrogen strategy that will include the use of hydrogen in the ore reduction process at its Western Australian project, and introducing hydrogen into the natural gas pipeline.

The company is also aiming to use hydrogen in its transportation model, and hydrogen ammonia byproduct material in vanadium processing.

“The use of green hydrogen would allow Australian Vanadium to reduce its carbon footprint and leverage both the economic and environmental benefits of this growing market,” said MD Vincent Algar on Thursday.

“The green steel opportunity is one that Western Australia should particularly embrace, with the potential for many jobs to be created and a globally competitive steel industry. This strategy can assist with environmental approvals and in attracting finance partners with an environmental, social and corporate governance focus, for Australian Vanadium to bring the Australian vanadium project into production.”

Australian Vanadium’s strategy to incorporate hydrogen into the project included the introduction of a percentage of green hydrogen into the natural gas feed for the processing plant, thereby reducing carbon emissions from the plant.

The introduction of green hydrogen into the processing plant would be fully analysed in a bankable feasibility study.

In addition, Australian Vanadium’s strategy would also incorporate offtake of ammonia from green hydrogen production for use in the final vanadium precipitation step of the processing, with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation currently working on a project to develop a production process that does not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

Australian Vanadium would also look at powering mine site or haulage vehicles with green hydrogen, and using green hydrogen for steel production in the ore reduction step. The company said on Wednesday that it was seeking partnerships with companies interested in this area.

Furthermore, the company is also looking at integrating hydrogen electorlysers in the plant design, combined with energy storage using vanadium redox flow battery technology.

The company has now submitted a formal response for the Western Australian government’s request for expressions of interest for the Oakajee strategic industrial area renewable energy strategy, saying that a project located in the Mid-West region, offering a variety of ways for the company to incorporate green hydrogen, means that Australian Vanadium is well positioned to leverage the emerging hydrogen economy and its financial and environmental benefits.

Australian Vanadium is developing its namesake project some 40 km south east of Meekatharra, and the proposed project includes an openpit mine, crushing, milling and beneficiation at the site, as well as a processing plant for final conversion to high-quality vanadium pentoxide for use in the steel, specialty alloys and battery markets.