Mining giant Rio Tinto and thermal energy storage specialist Rondo Energy have commenced front-end engineering and design on a project seeking to integrate a 30 MW/360 MWh heat battery into the existing steam system at the Yarwun alumina refinery near Gladstone.

The companies said if delivered, the project would be one of the first large-scale demonstrations of thermal energy storage for industrial process heat globally, and a world-first for the alumina industry.  

Kira Rundel, head of Rondo in Australia, said the project will help validate the role of thermal energy storage in reducing fossil fuel use in energy-intensive industries and pave the way for similar projects in other sectors.

“This project shows how Australia’s abundant energy can become a competitive advantage for industry,” she said. “Heat batteries allow manufacturers to use low-cost electricity to produce the reliable, round-the-clock heat their operations need.”

The project, supported by a grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), will seek to integrate a 30 MW / 360 MWh thermal energy storage unit into the Yarwun refinery’s existing steam system.

Rondo said its heat batteries, built on proven refractory brick materials as the thermal storage medium, can store low-cost grid electricity generated during sunny and windy hours as high-temperature heat for days and release it when needed to generate steam for industrial operations. The company said the heat is typically delivered as steam or hot air up to 1,000°C and the technology has a round-trip efficiency of more than 98%.

California-headquartered Rondo said for energy-intensive industries such as alumina refining, the heat batteries offer a fast, low-cost pathway to electrification that addresses both emissions and energy costs.

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