VFlowTech, a leading provider of long-duration energy storage solutions, has announced a strategic collaboration with the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), the industry interface of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi). The partnership will focus on developing technologies to recover high-purity vanadium from petroleum coke (petcoke) cinder, a by-product of India’s extensive refining industry. 

The initiative aims to establish India’s first circular vanadium ecosystem by transforming refinery waste into battery-grade vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅)—a vital material for next-generation long-duration batteries that enhance grid stability and enable widespread renewable energy deployment. This partnership lays the foundation for a self-reliant, circular economy for vanadium in India—one that converts industrial waste into valuable resources, strengthens the domestic supply chain, and accelerates the country’s clean energy transition. 

Supported by its recent US$ 20 million Series A+ funding, VFlowTech is investing in India’s sustainable energy future by advancing local research and development capabilities and building a 'Made-in-India' vanadium value chain to power vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). 

“India’s vast refinery infrastructure presents a unique opportunity to build a homegrown vanadium ecosystem,” said Dr. Avishek Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of VFlowTech. “By converting industrial waste into high-value battery materials, we are simultaneously advancing energy security and promoting industrial sustainability.”

“We are proud to be part of this transformative initiative,” said Professor Anil Verma from the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Delhi. “By establishing India’s first circular vanadium ecosystem, we aim to contribute meaningfully toward the national goal of achieving 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. This partnership will further accelerate India’s clean energy transition by reinforcing the domestic supply chain and advancing technological innovation.”

India added a record 29.52 GW of renewable energy capacity in FY 2024-2025, bringing its total to 220.10 GW, according to the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE). This milestone positions the country well on track to achieve its ambitious target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, in line with PM Modi’s ‘Panchamrit’ pledge.

While India ranks among the world’s largest oil refiners, it currently imports most of its vanadium, creating a bottleneck in the energy storage supply chain. However, refinery waste generates substantial quantities of petcoke cinder, which contains significant vanadium content. A new collaboration aims to bridge this gap by extracting vanadium domestically from petcoke waste, promoting both economic growth and environmental sustainability.