Newcastle startup unveils world-first renewable steam system
MGA Thermal has shown off tech that delivers continuous renewable steam, challenging fossil fuels’ dominance in heavy industry.
In a world-first breakthrough, Australian clean energy company MGA Thermal has unveiled a commercial-scale system capable of delivering something that has long eluded renewables: continuous industrial-grade steam without fossil fuels.
"This is the missing piece of the puzzle for heavy industry decarbonisation," said Mark Croudace, CEO of MGA Thermal. "We've cracked the challenge of delivering continuous steam from intermittent renewable sources, making it both technically and commercially compelling."
The Newcastle-based company’s Electro-Thermal Energy Storage (ETES) system, now operational at its Tomago site, uses a novel approach to energy storage. Rather than relying on conventional batteries, the system stores surplus renewable electricity as heat in specially engineered blocks containing phase-change materials.
Founded in 2019 to commercialise nearly a decade of research at the University of Newcastle, MGA Thermal has secured over $35 million in funding from investors including Main Sequence, as well as significant grants from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and partnerships with industry giants such as US oil company Chevron for real-world testing of its technology.
