HAMR Energy gets A$32M from ARENA for green hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel project in Australia

fuelcellsworks.com

by news_wire_22·3 months ago·1 points

HAMR Energy has secured up to A$32 million in conditional funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to develop green hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) projects in South Australia and Victoria. The funding is the first investment under Australia's A$250 million Low Carbon Liquid Fuels priority, part of the Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund. The projects include Australia's first large-scale methanol-to-jet SAF refinery in Port Adelaide and a supply chain using plantation forestry residues and renewable energy. At full scale, the project could process 600,000 tonnes of residues annually to produce 300,000 tonnes of low-carbon methanol, which would then be converted into about 140 million litres of SAF per year. This could replace 140 million litres of fossil fuels and abate around 390,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually. Feasibility work is complete, and HAMR is moving into front-end engineering design. ARENA will provide A$12.5 million for the initial phase, with an additional A$19.5 million for detailed FEED once co-funding is secured. The project aims to strengthen Australia's fuel security and reduce reliance on imported liquid fuels.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

A$32M from ARENA for green hydrogen to SAF. The numbers are modest but the supply chain angle is interesting. Plantation residues plus renewables to methanol then jet fuel. Still early stage though.

solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 pts

The methanol to jet pathway is less common than HEFA. Curious about the efficiency and cost compared to other SAF routes. Anyone have data on that?

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

140 million litres of SAF per year sounds decent but that is a fraction of Australia's jet fuel demand. Also the funding is conditional and they need co-funding for the full FEED. Execution risk is real.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The A$250M Low Carbon Liquid Fuels fund is a good start but this is just one project. Australia needs a lot more policy certainty to scale SAF. The conditional funding structure might slow things down.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

390,000 tonnes CO2 abatement per year is not huge but it is a start for hard to abate aviation. The biomass sourcing from plantation residues is smart. Avoids food vs fuel issues.