HAMR Energy, an Australian developer of low-carbon liquid fuels, closed a A$10m (about $7.1m) Series A round, announced on 11 February 2026. The investors named are Qantas and Airbus, which invested through their joint Australian Sustainable Aviation Fuel investment fund, and industrial group thyssenkrupp Uhde. Existing investors also recommitted.
No lead investor and no valuation were disclosed. Outlets converted the Australian dollar figure differently, with reports ranging from about $6.6m to $7.1m, so the dollar amount here is approximate.
“This funding round is a pivotal moment for HAMR Energy and for Australia's clean energy future.”David Stribley, Co-founder, HAMR Energy
What HAMR does
HAMR develops projects that turn plantation forestry residues into low-carbon fuels for sectors that are hard to decarbonise, such as aviation and shipping. Its flagship is Portland Renewable Fuels in regional Victoria, designed to produce 300,000 tonnes a year of low-carbon methanol. The methanol can be used directly as a marine fuel or converted into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Honeywell will supply its UOP eFining process technology for the project. Honeywell UOP says it is the first commercial licence in the Pacific region for eFining applied to SAF production, according to Australian Manufacturing. HAMR also plans what it describes as Australia's first major methanol-to-jet fuel facility, with capacity for more than 135 million litres of SAF a year.
Supply and jobs
Hydrocarbon Engineering reported that HAMR has memorandums of understanding with the plantation forestry company OneFortyOne for long-term supply of feedstock. Wood & Panel said the Green Triangle, which covers south-western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia, is a prime feedstock hub with year-round operations and established harvesting and transport networks, and that HAMR is also assessing residues from plantations in Tasmania and Western Australia. Nick Chan of OneFortyOne said the region's logistics and steady biomass supply support a reliable low-carbon fuels supply chain. The methanol-to-jet facility is expected to create hundreds of jobs during construction and up to 130 long-term operating roles, according to SmartCompany.
Who invested
For Qantas, chief sustainability officer Fiona Messent said building SAF supply in Australia is essential to meeting the airline's decarbonisation targets. Stephen Forshaw, Airbus chief representative, described methanol-based SAF as a very interesting technology pathway.
The Qantas and Airbus fund is a joint investment vehicle for SAF projects in Australia. An ICF report commissioned by Qantas and Airbus, cited by Hydrocarbon Engineering, estimates that the SAF sector could deliver A$13.1bn in gross value added and create or sustain 70,000 jobs in Australia. The same article cited IATA's estimate that global SAF demand could reach 500 million tonnes by 2050.
What the money is for
In the process Wood & Panel described, woody biomass is heated in a controlled environment to produce syngas, which is then synthesised into methanol. HAMR is also working with its research partner, the Australian Forest and Wood Innovations Centre for Sustainable Futures on the Sunshine Coast, on a Fibre to Fuels study of whether entrained-flow gasification can make methanol from residues commercially.
The money advances HAMR's pipeline of low-carbon fuel projects. Co-founder David Stribley called the round a pivotal moment for the company and for Australia's clean energy future. SmartCompany reported that the round opened in mid-2025. The company did not say how much of the funds go to each project, and it did not disclose its headcount, headquarters or earlier funding.
Company website: hamrenergy.com