Australian thermal energy storage hopeful MGA Thermal has taken the next key step to developing what is set to be Australia’s largest industrial-scale thermal storage project.
It announced this week that it has begun a Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) study for a proposed 195 megawatt-hour (MWh) electro-thermal energy storage (ETES) to be built at global chemicals and mining company Tronox’s Kwinana pigment plant in Western Australia.
The 195 MWh ETES project will use MGA Thermal’s proprietary thermal energy storage (TES) technology which has been proven to be economically competitive with traditional fossil fuel technologies at an industrial scale, according to a pre-feasibility study carried out by MGA Thermal and Knode in 2025.
The FEED study, backed by a $2.95 million investment from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), is a significant milestone for the flagship thermal storage project and builds on the work carried out during the pre-feasibility study.
“Commencing the FEED study is a significant step – it’s where engineering challenges are resolved, and the pathway to FID and construction becomes real,” said Mark Croudace, CEO of MGA Thermal.
