HAMR Raises AUD 10 Million with Airbus, Qantas and thyssenkrupp Backing

Melbourne-based renewable fuels company HAMR has closed a AUD 10 million (USD 7.1 million) Series A funding round backed by Qantas, Airbus, and thyssenkrupp. The investment will advance HAMR's pipeline of low-carbon liquid fuel projects that convert plantation forestry residues into shipping fuel and sustainable aviation fuel.

HAMR's anchor project in Victoria is expected to produce 300,000 tonnes per year of low-carbon methanol, usable directly as a shipping fuel or convertible into sustainable aviation fuel. The company is also developing Australia's first major methanol-to-jet facility, with capacity to produce more than 135 million litres of SAF annually. The investment from Qantas and Airbus was drawn from their joint Australian SAF Investment Fund, which the two companies launched in 2022 with a commitment of up to USD 200 million to develop Australia's SAF industry.

Aviation and shipping are among the hardest sectors to decarbonize, with liquid fuels remaining the predominant energy source for both. HAMR's approach converts plantation forestry residues — a sustainable and scalable feedstock — into low-carbon methanol and SAF, helping address feedstock supply concerns that have limited SAF production growth globally. The backing from major aviation and industrial players signals growing corporate confidence in Australian low-carbon fuel production. Strategic SAF development in Australia also has implications for Asian and Indo-Pacific aviation routes, making regional offtake partnerships plausible.

HAMR plans to use the Series A proceeds to advance project development, including feasibility work and early-stage construction for its Victoria methanol plant and the methanol-to-jet facility. The involvement of thyssenkrupp, an industrial conglomerate with engineering expertise in green chemicals, broadens the project's technical support base. As global SAF mandates tighten — particularly in the EU and UK — Australian production capacity developed now could serve as export supply. For India, which is developing green hydrogen and clean fuels policy, HAMR's model of converting biomass residues into aviation fuel offers a relevant reference point.

Key figure — 135 million litres of SAF annually