Vast Renewables Limited has secured planning consent for its pioneering Solar Methanol 1 project in Port Augusta, Australia, set to produce green hydrogen and methanol using around-the-clock solar power, enhancing sustainable fuel production capabilities.
On May 30, 2024, Vast Renewables Limited (Nasdaq: VSTE), a leader in concentrated solar thermal power (CSP), received the green light for its groundbreaking project, Solar Methanol 1 (SM1), located in Port Augusta, South Australia. The project, developed in collaboration with global energy company Mabanaft GmbH & Co. KG, aims to produce 7,500 tonnes of green methanol annually, utilizing zero-carbon CSP technology.
SM1 promises to be a cornerstone in sustainable fuel production, using molten-salt energy storage to power an electrolyser day and night. This technology, combined with carbon capture from Calix’s Leilac calcination plant—targeting emissions from cement and lime production—enables continuous green methanol production.
This innovative approach not only supports South Australia’s strategy to cultivate a domestic hydrogen industry but also presents a scalable solution for green fuel production that doesn’t rely on limited biomass resources. The facility will be energized by a co-located 30 MW / 288 MWh CSP plant, dubbed VS1, harnessing Vast’s advanced CSP v3.0 technology to supply renewable heat and electricity.
The project has already attracted significant funding, with up to AUD $19.48 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and an additional EUR 12.4 million from Projektträger Jülich (PtJ) for Mabanaft, under the HyGATE initiative—a bilateral collaboration between the Australian and German governments aimed at accelerating hydrogen technology development.
Craig Wood, CEO of Vast, said: “Planning consent is an important milestone for this major project for Port Augusta and South Australia. SM1 will produce low-cost green fuels, which can play an important role in decarbonising the global maritime industry. The combination of technologies can be scaled rapidly, acting as a catalyst for a green fuels industry in Australia and around the world.”
Calix CEO and Managing Director Phil Hodgson said: “Capturing and using unavoidable emissions from cement and lime is an exciting option to help decarbonise multiple hard-to-abate industries. It is pleasing to see this innovative and collaborative project achieve another important milestone, bringing a world’s first solar methanol plant one step closer to being realised.”
Volker Ebeling, Senior Vice President New Energy, Supply & Infrastructure at Mabanaft, said: “After evaluating the effectiveness, we expect larger scale projects to be developed that would serve other markets, including Europe.”
About Vast
Vast is a renewable energy company that has developed CSP systems to generate, store and dispatch carbon free, utility-scale electricity and industrial heat, and to enable the production of green fuels. Vast’s CSP v3.0 approach to CSP utilizes a proprietary, modular sodium loop to efficiently capture and convert solar heat into these end products.
Visit www.vast.energy for more information.
About Calix
Calix Limited (ASX: CXL) is an environmental technology company solving urgent global challenges in industrial decarbonisation and sustainability. Calix’s unique patented core platform technology delivers efficient indirect heating of raw materials to enable renewably powered mineral processing and efficient capture of unavoidable industrial emissions.
About Mabanaft
Mabanaft is a leading independent and integrated energy company providing its customers with innovative energy solutions for their transportation, heating, industrial and agricultural needs. The group is active in import, distribution and marketing of petroleum products, natural gas liquids, chemicals and biofuels, and supports its customers’ transition to cleaner fuels by providing alternative long-term solutions.
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