Next step for SA's utility-scale solar plant

Renewable energy company Vast Solar has awarded Worley Ltd key engineering contracts for its VS1 project. Vast specialises in concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) energy systems that generate zero-carbon, utility-scale dispatchable electricity and industrial process heat.

VS1 is a 30 MW/288 MWh CSP plant being built in Port Augusta, South Australia. It will generate clean, low-cost, dispatchable power with over 8 hours of thermal energy storage. The project is slated to provide dozens of green manufacturing jobs, hundreds of jobs during construction and long-term plant operations roles.

Vast has appointed Worley and its specialist consulting division Advisian to complete VS1 basic engineering by July 2023, followed by front-end engineering design (FEED) in the balance of this calendar year. Construction of VS1 is on track to begin in 2024.

“With strong expertise in CSP, Worley and Advisian are the ideal engineering partners for VS1, which will utilise 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,” said Craig Wood, CEO of Vast.

“Vast has a longstanding relationship with Worley and Advisian dating back to assistance with the engineering and commissioning of our 1.1 MW grid-connected Jemalong demonstration plant,” Wood added.

“Their skill in integrating our technology with major packages to be delivered by key equipment partners from around the world will allow VS1 to progress towards FID [final investment decision] late this year.”

Vast’s proprietary CSP v3.0 technology has received significant support from the Australian Government. Most recently, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announced it had approved up to AU$65 million in funding to support construction of VS1.

VS1 will be co-located with Solar Methanol 1 (SM1), a green methanol demonstration plant which, in February, was selected to receive AU$19.48 million and EUR13.2 million from a collaboration between the Australian and German Governments respectively. SM1 will use zero-emission dispatchable electricity and heat from VS1 to produce green methanol for use as a sustainable shipping fuel.

Image caption: Vast’s 1.1 MW CSP Demonstration Plant in Forbes, Australia was operated for 32 months. Image: Supplied