Thyssenkrupp Uhde completes pre-FEED for Portland Renewable Fuels project in Victoria, Australia
- HAMR Energy
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
HAMR Energy announced Aug. 21 that it has reached a key milestone at its Portland Renewable Fuels project in regional Victoria, Australia, with Thyssenkrupp Uhde completing the pre-front-end engineering design (pre-FEED) phase.
The project will convert locally sourced forestry residues and green hydrogen into 300,000 metric tons of low-carbon methanol per year.
This methanol can be further refined into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or used directly as a shipping fuel, helping to decarbonize hard-to-abate transport.
With the aviation and maritime sectors committing to net-zero targets, methanol is emerging as a critical low-emissions fuel.
When produced using renewable energy and biomass feedstocks, it represents a proven and scalable hydrogen-use case, with methanol already powering vessels globally and set to be approved as a feedstock for jet fuel.
“This milestone reflects both our ambition and our strategy—to work with global technology leaders to deliver Australia’s next generation of clean fuels,” said Richard Owen, the director and chairman of HAMR Energy. “Completing the pre-FEED phase marks an important step for a transformative project for our country’s energy future.”
HAMR Energy said Thyssenkrupp Uhde is an important partner for the project and brings over 100 years of experience in chemical process engineering with a portfolio that includes proprietary technologies for gasification, methanol synthesis and emissions reduction.
With pre-FEED complete, Thyssenkrupp Uhde’s Australian operations will continue to provide local engineering expertise and project execution capabilities and will supply the project with its state-of-the-art biomass-to-methanol technology, according to HAMR Energy.
“We are proud to support HAMR Energy in shaping the future of renewable fuels in Australia,” said Nadja Håkansson, CEO of Thyssenkrupp Uhde. “Our proven capabilities in process engineering, technology integration and project execution are the cornerstones of this collaboration.”
The project is expected to generate hundreds of construction jobs and dozens of long-term operational roles, attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in investment to regional Victoria.
HAMR Energy said it has already secured memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with suppliers for the required feedstock, and that the project aligns with both state and federal policies to become a world leader in low-carbon liquid fuels (LCLF) and enhance national fuel security.
“We are looking forward to working with project partners, government and the community to advance Portland Renewable Fuels, which can play a pivotal role in Australia becoming a global player in the LCLF industry,” Owen said.
HAMR Energy is currently finalizing its AUD$10 million (USD$6.43 million) Series A funding round, drawing strong interest from strategic partners and private investors.
Completing pre-FEED in partnership with Thyssenkrupp Uhde allows HAMR Energy to progress in finalizing permitting and commence its final FEED stage, the company said.
“The Portland Renewable Fuels project represents a significant investment in Portland, driving economic growth, creating local jobs and positioning the region to be at the forefront of renewable energy innovation,” said Gayle Tierney, the minister for regional development.
