#Australia #Thermal Energy Storage #Rio Tinto #Gladstone #Rondo Energy

Australia’s Largest Thermal Energy Storage Project

In an exciting advancement for green energy technology, Rondo Energy and mining giant Rio Tinto have embarked on the front-end engineering and design phase of a groundbreaking thermal energy storage project located at Rio Tinto's Yarwun alumina refinery, near Gladstone, Queensland. This initiative will feature their innovative Rondo Heat Batteries, boasting a storage capacity of 360 MWh and a discharge rate of 30 MW, thus revolutionizing the way industrial processes utilize energy.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is heavily involved in this initiative, providing initial funding of $3.6 million to facilitate the completion of the engineering work necessary for the project. Following the successful outcome of this study, the agency is poised to contribute an additional $38 million to assist with the deployment of the project. Furthermore, ARENA has set aside up to $33.3 million in conditional contingency funds, aimed at mitigating project risks arising from cost overruns and fluctuations in electricity costs.

This ambitious project marks one of the earliest large-scale demonstrations of thermal energy storage specifically designed for industrial process heat on a global scale, making it a world-first in the alumina sector. The technology harnesses excess solar-generated electricity produced during peak sunlight hours—approximately 4-6 hours each day—and converts it into high-temperature heat that can be stored in refractory bricks. This stored energy can then be used to supply continuous process heat to industrial operations, primarily in the form of steam.

Australia’s energy landscape frequently showcases surplus renewable energy availability during midday hours, a resource that industries are eager to tap into for round-the-clock operational capacity. Rondo Heat Batteries can bridge this gap efficiently, enabling companies to convert intermittent low-cost electricity into a steady supply of steam, thereby ensuring operational reliability regardless of solar availability.

For energy-intensive industries, such as alumina refining, the deployment of Rondo Heat Batteries not only addresses emissions but also slashes energy costs. Traditional fossil fuel reliance for high-pressure steam generation is reevaluated here, with the heat battery integrating seamlessly into existing infrastructure and processes, replacing fossil fuel-based energy sources with affordable electricity instead.

Dr. Kira Rundel, Rondo's Head of Australia, maintains that