HAMR Energy closes AUD$10 million Series A with backing from Qantas, Airbus and Thyssenkrupp Uhde

Photo: HAMR Energy

Australian low-carbon liquid fuels (LCLF) company HAMR Energy announced Feb. 11 the successful close of its AUD$10 million (USD$7.1 million) Series A funding round, securing investment from major aviation companies Airbus and Qantas, as well as leading global industrial firm Thyssenkrupp Uhde.

The investment marks a critical milestone as HAMR Energy advances its pipeline of LCLF projects that convert plantation forestry residues into fuel to decarbonize hard-to-abate transport including shipping and aviation.

In further support of the project, Honeywell will provide its innovative UOP eFining™ process technology and expertise to enable renewable fuel production from methanol.

HAMR Energy’s flagship project, Portland Renewable Fuels in regional Victoria, will use residues from the local plantation forestry industry to produce 300,000 metric tons per year of low-carbon methanol.

This methanol can be used directly as a shipping fuel or converted into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), helping close the global SAF supply gap, strengthening Australian fuel security and supporting the country’s transition to cleaner energy.

With the International Air Transport Association estimating global SAF demand to reach 500 million tons by 2050, HAMR Energy said its projects could play a pivotal role in production in Australia.

The sector will deliver AUD$13.1 billion (USD$9.33 billion) in gross value add and create or sustain 70,000 jobs, according to a study by ICF Consulting Services commissioned by Qantas and Airbus.

In addition to Portland Renewable Fuels, HAMR Energy is developing Australia’s first major methanol-to-jet fuel facility, which will have the capacity to convert methanol into more than 135 million liters (35.66 million gallons) of SAF annually.

According to HAMR Energy, it will create hundreds of jobs in construction and up to 130 long-term operational roles once established, enhancing Australia’s resilience and self-sufficiency in aviation-fuel supply.

HAMR Energy said its experienced executive team has deep expertise in global fuel markets and complex energy projects.

It has designed what the company said is “an innovative, vertically integrated production model to meet the needs of customers by using existing byproducts with memorandums of understanding for long-term supply agreements with partners including sustainable plantation forestry company OneFortyOne.”

This method, according to HAMR Energy, offers lower lifecycle emissions than alternative feedstocks and utilizes proven technology to produce highly competitive fuels.

The investment from Qantas and Airbus will be taken from their joint Australian Sustainable Aviation Fuel investment fund and existing investors have recommitted.

“This funding round is a pivotal moment for HAMR Energy and for Australia’s clean-energy future,” said David Stribley, co-founder of HAMR Energy. “With the backing of world-class partners, we are advancing projects to deliver the lowest-cost, lowest-carbon fuels to decarbonize aviation and shipping at scale. This investment will help us play an important part in realizing Australia’s goals of establishing an LCLF industry.”

Fiona Messent, Qantas Group’s chief sustainability officer, added, “Building SAF supply in Australia is essential to meeting our decarbonization targets and reducing aviation’s emissions. But the benefits extend well beyond our industry—a domestic SAF sector means jobs, regional investment and economic growth across Australia. HAMR Energy’s vertically integrated approach represents a significant step forward, and we’re proud to support production that will help establish this critical local industry.”

Stephen Forshaw, Airbus’ chief representative in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, said, “Airbus sees HAMR Energy’s innovative approach to producing SAF from methanol as a very interesting technology pathway, which can help accelerate the industry’s transition to sustainable fuels. We are also excited to support the development of this proposed project in Victoria. Developing low-carbon fuel production in more of Australia’s states has the potential to create broad access for offtakers across the country—so important when we consider the reach of our industry.”

Nadja Håkansson, the CEO of Thyssenkrupp Uhde GmbH, said, “This is an important milestone for the future of renewable fuels in Australia. For us at Thyssenkrupp Uhde, it’s a great example of how our technology and project-delivery capabilities can help turn ambitious concepts into industrial reality—thanks to the great collaboration with HAMR and all partners involved. Projects like this succeed when developers, technology partners, execution experts and future offtakers work hand in hand from the very beginning. Joining forces across the entire ecosystem is what creates real world impact.”

Rajesh Gattupalli, the president of Honeywell UOP, added, “Honeywell’s extensive technical expertise and practical experience in SAF have enabled us to identify innovative ways in which flexible feedstocks can be used to support aviation’s energy transition. Our agreement with HAMR Energy marks the first commercial license in the Pacific region for SAF production using Honeywell’s eFining process technology. This initiative highlights our commitment to supporting the responsible growth of the global aviation sector and propelling efforts toward a low-carbon future.”

Nick Chan, director of corporate strategy at OneFortyOne, said, “The success of HAMR Energy’s project will be a defining moment for the plantation forestry industry in Australia, supporting diversification into new markets for our residual wood products. OneFortyOne is uniquely positioned to lead as a feedstock partner in this low-carbon liquid fuels space, thanks to the sustainability, scale and consistency of our supply, year-round operations and well-established infrastructure and supply chains.”