Australian concentrated solar thermal power specialist Vast Renewables is partnering with GGS Energy to pursue a commercial-scale synthetic fuels project in the United States called Project Bravo.
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Project Bravo, Vast’s first deployment in the US, will see Vast’s CSP v3.0 technology used to generate carbon-free heat and electricity to power a co-located refinery that will produce green methanol and/or electrically powered sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF). The project is expected to be located in the southwest United States.
Project Bravo will build on Solar Methanol 1 (SM1), the CSP-powered green methanol reference plant to be located in Australia at the Port Augusta Green Energy Hub, which Vast is co-developing with global energy company Mabanaft.
Vast has been undertaking early-stage development activities for Project Bravo, including initial design, site selection and feasibility assessments, to create a viable project ready for the next phase of development in collaboration with GGS Energy.
The project has a development target of 550MWh of CSP generation, with further details to be released as development activities unfold.
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Vast CEO Craig Wood says, “CSP has the potential to unlock low-cost green fuel production in the US, and it can play a significant role in helping decarbonise shipping and aviation. We are delighted to have GGS Energy as a development partner to advance our plans in the US, which is a key market for Vast’s technology.”