Rondo Energy and Rio Tinto have started front-end engineering and design work on what would be Australia's largest thermal energy storage project, a Rondo Heat Battery rated at 360 MWh of storage and 30 MW of discharge capacity.

The project is supported by a grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and, if progressed, would be delivered at Rio Tinto's Yarwun alumina refinery near Gladstone, Queensland.

ARENA Funding Structure

ARENA's funding for the project will be provided in stages. An initial USD 3.6 million will cover completion of the front-end engineering and design work. Following successful completion of that study, ARENA will provide up to USD 38 million for deployment.

ARENA has also approved up to USD 33.3 million in conditional contingency support. This support would only be made available in defined circumstances to manage specific project risks, including cost overruns and electricity costs.

How the Heat Battery Works

Rondo Heat Batteries use abundant, low-cost midday electricity to charge, storing energy as high-temperature heat in refractory brick, and then supply energy as 24/7 continuous process heat to industry. Typically, the heat is delivered as steam, directly into an industrial facility's steam network.

The technology is designed to address a mismatch in Australia's energy system. The country regularly has four to six hours of surplus solar-generated renewable electricity in the middle of the day, but industrial facilities need heat 24 hours a day, not just when the sun is shining. By charging when electricity is cheap and abundant and discharging continuously, Rondo Heat Batteries turn short periods of low-cost electricity into 24/7 delivery of low-cost steam.

For energy-intensive industries such as alumina refining, the heat batteries create a pathway to electrification that addresses both emissions and energy costs. Because the heat battery slots into the existing steam network, the facility's processes run exactly as before. The only change is the source of the energy for that heat: no longer from fossil fuels, but sourced from low-cost electricity instead.

The Yarwun study will assess the technical and economic viability of integrating the technology into refinery operations.

Industry Perspectives

Dr. Kira Rundel, Rondo's Head of Australia, said the project demonstrates how Australia's abundant energy can become a competitive advantage for industry. "Heat batteries allow manufacturers to use low-cost electricity to produce the reliable, round-the-clock heat their operations need," she said.

"Australia's largest heat battery will show how factories can cut emissions without increasing energy costs, helping Australian industry to increase global competitiveness and supporting local manufacturing jobs."

Rio Tinto Pacific Operations Managing Director Armando Torres noted that reducing emissions from alumina refining is complex, particularly when it comes to generating the high-pressure steam needed for operations. He said the study will help determine whether thermal energy storage can provide a technically and economically viable alternative to fossil fuels for part of Yarwun's steam requirements.

Torres added that the best way to tackle challenges of this scale is through collaboration between industry, government, and technology partners, welcoming ARENA and Rondo's support as Rio Tinto assesses technologies that could help reduce Scope 1 emissions while maintaining reliable operations at Yarwun.

Rondo Energy's Track Record

Rondo Energy delivers firm heat and power, including combined heat and power (CHP), to heavy industry and provides power solutions and long-duration storage to data centers.

For industrial heat applications, Rondo Heat Batteries convert four to six hours of low-cost electricity into continuous 24-hour, high-temperature heat, delivered as steam or hot air up to 1,000°C. The heat delivered integrates directly with existing industrial equipment and processes, eliminating on-site emissions and running on lower-cost energy.

The company's heat storage can integrate with steam turbines to deliver combined heat and power for industry and long-duration power-to-power solutions for large energy consumers such as data centers. The platform is built on proven refractory brick as the thermal storage medium and is engineered for multi-decade operation in demanding industrial environments.

Rondo Heat Batteries have been delivering firm heat and power at scale since 2023, with operational facilities serving customers in fuels and cement in the United States and in Asia, including steam-driving turbines for electricity. The company's next unit, a 100 MWh Rondo Heat Battery under construction in Europe for a chemical plant, will come online shortly.

Rondo is a global company based in California, with teams across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia. Providing heat and power solutions to the alumina industry is an area of focus for the company due to the strong fit of its technology with the heat and power needs of that industry.

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