Australian Vanadium Limited announced that Primero Group Ltd. and GR Engineering Services Ltd. have been appointed to undertake Early Contractor Involvement services for the Australian Vanadium Project Crushing, Milling and Beneficiation plant Engineering, Procurement and Construction package. The ECI process was endorsed as the appropriate way forward as it allows AVL and the ECI contractors the opportunity to build key relationships by collaborating in design development, optimising risk allocation and preparation of EPC pricing. Both Primero and GR Engineering are industry leaders in EPC delivery and AVL sees the ECI process as a critical part of being execution ready once a final investment decision is made.

Completion of the ECI is scheduled for Second Quarter 2023, with the final preferred EPC contractor being notified within the same quarter. The Project is one of the most advanced vanadium projects being developed globally. It is based on a high-grade V-Ti-Fe Mineral Resource1 located in the Murchison Province, approximately 43kms south of the mining town of Meekatharra in Western Australia and 740km north-east of Perth.

Open cut mining and a CMB will be located south of Meekatharra and a vanadium pentoxide processing plant will be located near the port city of Geraldton. The Project will produce a vanadium concentrate at the resource site and complete production of a high purity vanadium for the steel, titanium master-alloy and energy storage markets, as well as an iron titanium (FeTi) coproduct for export through Geraldton, at its planned processing plant.