HAMR Energy lands A$32M ARENA grant for forestry-waste jet fuel
What's the deal? Melbourne-based low-carbon liquid fuels developer HAMR Energy has been awarded A$32 million ($22.4 million) in conditional funding from the Australian Renewable Energy AgencyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → (ARENA) to advance its plan to turn forestry residues into sustainable aviation fuel, announced in July 2026. The grant comes in two stages: A$12.5 million for an early Front End Engineering Design phase, and a further A$19.5 million contingent on HAMR securing co-funding to begin detailed design.
What's the endgame? Against a total project cost of A$92 million, the funding backs development work across three linked facilities: a biomass processing plant in Victoria handling around 600,000 tonnes of forestry residues a year, the Portland Renewable Fuels methanol project producing roughly 300,000 tonnes of renewable methanol annually, and a Methanol-to-Jet project in Gillman, South Australia, targeting about 140 megalitres of sustainable aviation fuel per year. Founded in 2020, HAMR has secured partnerships and backing from QantasDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Airbus, Thyssenkrupp and Honeywell.
The signal: Government-backed grants remain a key funding route for early-stage clean-fuel projects, where commercial capital is still cautious. The award points to continued public support for scaling a domestic low-carbon liquid fuels industry across Australia's transport and aviation sectors.
Read more: Carbon Pulse
