SM1
SM1
Vast and Mabanaft have received joint German-Australian funding under the HyGATE initiative to progress planned (renewables-based) hydrogen and methanol production facilities in the Port Augusta region of South Australia.
| Main proponents:
Vast, Mabanaft |
Main end-use classification:
Industrial process – methanol production |
Status:
Under development – contracts awarded to commence pre-FEED |
Estimated cost:
|
| Other involvement:
Calix, principal supplier of CO2 |
Production details:
10 MW PEM electrolyser, with estimated 7,500 tonnes per annum of renewables-based methanol production |
Location:
South Australia, Australia |
Announced funding:
German-Australian HyGATE Initiative: ARENA-administered Australian funding of AUD$19.48 million awarded to Vast and German funding of €12.4 million received by Mabanaft as project co-developer. |
Project description
In February 2024, Vast announced that it, along with partner Mabanaft GmbH & Co. KG (Mabanaft) had signed funding agreements for awards under the German-Australian Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Incubator (HyGATE) initiative – ARENA-administered Australian funding of AUD$19.48 million awarded to Vast and German funding of €12.4 million received by Mabanaft as project co-developer.
The SM1 project is to be co-located with the 30 MW Vast Solar 1 (VS1) (concentrated solar thermal commercial reference) project in Port Augusta, South Australia. In April 2024, Vast announced that it had executed key engineering contracts to complete Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) on the VS1 project.
The SM1 Project would include a 10 MW PEM electrolyser for hydrogen production. A co-located lime plant would supply produced/captured CO2 (which is an unavoidable process emission in lime production). The produced hydrogen in combination with up to 15,000 tonnes per annum of CO2 captured/supplied using Calix’s calcination technology would be used to synthesise up to 7,500 tonnes per annum of renewables-based methanol.
Heat for the operations would be supplied by the VS1. Power for the electrolyser would be a combination of supply from the VS1 project and grid-based supply.
In May 2024, Vast announced that the project had received planning consent.
In June 2024, Vast announced that it had signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with Mabanaft to progress the SM1 project.
In October 2024, it was announced that Vast and Mabanaft have awarded contracts to international engineering group Fichtner and German e-fuels company bse Methanol to commence pre-front-end engineering and design (FEED) work (with Arup as Project Manager).
Potential offtakers for the produced e-methanol include marine applications and other local industrial demand.
Reviewed (reviewed by a project proponent): October 2024