5 MWh pilot plant provides new impetus for thermal energy storage startup

MGA Thermal has its sights fixed on the commercialisation of its long-duration electro-thermal energy storage solution after the successful commissioning of a 5 MWh pilot plant on the New South Wales Central Coast.

April 29, 2025 David Carroll

Image: MGA Thermal

Newcastle-based startup MGA Thermal has unveiled a 5 MWh demonstration plant showcasing its patented electro-thermal energy storage (ETES) system that transforms renewable energy into clean steam and power that’s available any time of the day.

Located at MGA Thermal’s headquarters at Tomago, the demonstration unit stores 5 MWh of energy with a 500 kW thermal dispatch power, providing continuous superheated steam for a full 24 hours.

At its core are approximately 3,700 of MGA Thermal’s proprietary miscibility gap alloy (MGA) blocks. The blocks, about the size of a large house brick, consist of small alloy particles embedded within graphite-based blocks enclosed in a fully insulated system.

When heated by renewable electricity, the metal alloy particles melt and absorb energy through a solid-to-liquid phase change. The stored thermal energy is released as the blocks cool and the particles solidify again. Heat exchangers are used to absorb heat from the blocks, with the heated gas or fluid suitable for industrial heat applications or to drive a steam turbine to generate electricity.

MGA Thermal Chief Executive Officer Mark Croudace said the technology offers a scalable means of firming variable renewable generation into “a highly reliable and versatile” supply of process heat and electricity for industry.

“This is the missing piece of the puzzle for heavy industry decarbonisation,” he said. “We’ve cracked the challenge of delivering continuous steam from intermittent renewable sources, making it both technically and commercially compelling.”

Croudace said the company is now seeking to commercialise the technology with the “world first” demonstration plant serving as a scalable blueprint for widespread adoption of the technology.

“Our now-operational demonstration plant isn’t just a concept, it’s a commercially viable solution ready for deployment,” he said. “As we gear up for full-scale commercialisation, our focus is on partnering with forward-thinking industries, both locally and globally, eager to embrace a sustainable future. The potential for significant emissions reduction is immense.”

MGA Thermal said its solution stores 200-300% more energy than traditional thermal energy storage systems, can deliver steam between 150°C and 550°C, and can simultaneously charge and discharge energy, allowing industrial plants to maintain uninterrupted steam production while concurrently storing additional renewable energy.

The company said the solution requires less land compared to other storage technologies, specifically “24 times less land than electric batteries delivering the same energy output” and its modular design allows systems to be scaled from 5 MWh to GWh storage capacities.

Erich Kisi, chief scientist and co-founder at MGA Thermal, said the demonstration plant is a “game-changer,” proving that “consistent, industrial-grade clean steam is not a future aspiration, but a reality today.”

“Our unique ETES solution efficiently captures and stores surplus renewable energy in a specially designed material, releasing it as high-temperature steam on demand,” he said. “Our systems react in milliseconds, seamlessly absorbing and deploying energy and therefore at a large scale can participate in grid and energy market stabilisation.”

“This marks a pivotal moment in the journey to decarbonise industries with high and continuous heat requirements.”

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