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Newcastle-based startup MGA Thermal's ambitions to deliver renewable heat for industrial processes have been stoked after a pre-feasibility study found its technology is economically competitive with traditional fossil fuel technologies.
MGA Thermal and its Perth-based partner Knode announced today that a pre-feasibility study for the largest thermal energy storage (TES) in the country has been completed, in collaboration with WA-based mining and energy company Tronox and global professional services group GHD.
The company's TES technology works as a highly flexible dispatchable asset, offering industrial companies a scalable means of electrifying high-grade process heat, reducing energy costs, emissions, and reliance on fossil fuels.
The study investigated the feasibility of a 180 megawatt-hour TES project capable of delivering 20 tonnes per hour of steam to an industrial site, and was found to be economically competitive with traditional heating methods on an industrial scale.
The planned TES project will be connected to Western Australia’s South West Interconnected System (SWIS), delivering significant network benefits including load shifting. Once completed, the TES system is anticipated to position the state at the forefront of decarbonisation for industrial heating applications.
Western Australia’s minerals and processing industry, a cornerstone of the state’s economy, which employs thousands of workers and generates billions in export revenue, is now facing a critical decarbonisation challenge.
"Without viable clean steam solutions that remove reliance on natural gas, carbon-intensive industries face an uncertain future as global markets increasingly demand low-carbon products," says Knode CEO Chris Nelson.
"Commercialising and scaling new technologies is challenging, and we’re adopting an innovative approach that engages multiple industrial stakeholders upfront to co-develop this industry-defining asset.
"By derisking the technology and business case at scale, the project has the potential to accelerate rollout for these stakeholders across their facilities globally."
Industrials are motivated to decarbonise where it is economically viable to do so. Sectors heavily dependent on high-temperature heat – like mineral processing, refining, food and beverage, chemical production, and materials manufacturing – require stable, continuous power for operations, which has historically presented a barrier to the adoption of intermittent renewable energy.
MGA Thermal claims thermal energy storage is a firming technology that stores intermittent renewable generation and delivers stable, continuous power 24/7. The company claims access to low-cost renewable energy will be a critical factor between long-term international competitiveness and the closure of economically vital industrial facilities in Australia.
"Knode and MGA Thermal are pioneering Australia’s largest industrial-scale thermal energy storage project that represents a genuine breakthrough in industrial decarbonisation," says MGA Thermal CEO Mark Croudace.
"This project not only validates the commercial viability of MGA Thermal’s technology at scale, but also demonstrates its applicability to high-temperature industrial heat processes, a critical need that few other renewable technologies can effectively address."
The partners are now preparing the project to enter its front-end engineering design (FEED) phase, with construction targeted to commence in 2026 and operations beginning in late 2027. Once complete, it will represent the first commercial-scale deployment of MGA Thermal energy storage for industrial heat applications.
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