Revolutionising clean energy storage
As Australia makes changes to its energy system to reduce carbon emissions, regional communities and pioneering companies are shaping the country’s economic future. The Hunter region is at the heart of innovative business, and home-grown company MGA Thermal is enabling 24/7 clean energy.
MGA Thermal has developed a revolutionary, purpose-built technology called Miscibility Gap Alloy (MGA), manufactured as MGA Blocks. MGA Blocks are used in Thermal Energy Storage Systems (TESS), to deliver continuous high temperature heat or electricity that is safe, low cost, sustainable and high capacity. These blocks can be used for a range of applications, including storing renewable energy, making 24/7 clean steam and running steam turbines at power stations instead of burning coal.
‘The MGA blocks are heated up using electricity from excess renewables; we store that heat in the block, then we dispatch that heat when industry needs it. Our product means we can store and dispatch renewable energy on demand to replace fossil fuels,’ says the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Tomago-based MGA Thermal, Dr Alexander Post.
Leading innovation in the Hunter
In 2021 MGA Thermal was listed as one of the country’s top 100 innovators by the Australian Business Review. The five-year-old company’s impact is already being felt: ‘We manufacture our bespoke material here in the Hunter and we are planning to export it all over the world,’ says Dr Post.
As the ‘beating heart of Australia’s energy network’, the Hunter region is the perfect location for the innovative business. ‘It’s a highly skilled region,’ says Head of Engineering Annie Lacombe. ‘We’re tapping into the talent that’s already here and offering opportunities for local people.’
As of June 2025, $3.75 million in Government funding via the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) was provided to ensure ample opportunities for MGA Thermal to grow. ‘We have a rapid growth plan to meet the demands set by decarbonisation,’ Dr Post says. ‘Our next stage is a 20-times increase in our manufacturing capacity here in Newcastle, which allows us to produce storage material at gigawatt-hour per annum scale for our customers.’
MGA Thermal received a further $3.25 million in funding in February to progress up to five frontend engineering design (FEED) studies, helping fast track the commercialisation of its thermal energy storage technology. These studies are designed to give industry greater certainty around the technical and commercial viability of thermal storage solutions, supporting investment decisions and industry in the region to decarbonise.
The Net Zero Economy Authority is championing the groundbreaking work of companies in the Hunter region and across Australia that are creating new job opportunities for industrial heartlands.
Learn more about MGA Thermal's plans to scale up its technology.