Vast Executes Contracts Advancing Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Plant

Vast Renewables has executed engineering contracts with Afry, FYFE, Primero and Worley to complete Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) on its VS1 project, a 30 MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plant to be located in Port Augusta, South Australia. 

Utilizing Vast’s modular tower CSP v3.0 technology, the company says VS1 is expected to generate power with more than eight hours of thermal energy storage. The project will be co-located with Solar Methanol 1 (SM1), a green methanol demonstration plant slated to use electricity and heat from VS1 to produce the fuel for use in shipping.  

FEED is expected to be completed by August ahead of a Final Investment Decision and construction starting later this year.  

“This is a major step forward for Vast and VS1, putting this historic CSP project on the path to construction,” says Craig Wood, CEO of Vast. “Afry, FYFE, Primero and Worley will bring the right combination of global and local expertise to VS1, which will utilize our industry-leading technology to capture and store the sun’s energy during the day before generating heat and dispatchable power during the day or night.”

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has approved AUD$65 million in funding to support the construction of VS1.