Rio Tinto Yarwun Announces Major Thermal Energy Storage Study  

Last week, Rio Tinto announced a feasibility study to demonstrate industrial-scale thermal energy storage (TES) at its Yarwun Alumina Refinery, supported by funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), assessing whether Rondo Energy’s technology can provide a viable alternative for part of Yarwun’s high-pressure steam requirements, while maintaining reliable operations.  

ARENA and Rio Tinto will each contribute $3.6 million towards the study, supporting Australia’s largest demonstration of industrial heat electrification and helping to validate the role of thermal energy storage in reducing fossil fuel use in energy-intensive industries. Following successful completion of that study, ARENA will provide up to $38 million for deployment and has been approved to provide up to $33.3 million in conditional contingency support, which would only be made available in defined circumstances to manage specific project risks, including cost overruns and electricity costs.