Australian thermal energy storage developer MGA Thermal has appointed former Shell Energy executive Greg Fyffe as Chief |
Commercial Officer( CCO) to lead its commercial expansion into enterprise-scale decarbonisation. The strategic hire signals the company’ s shift from technology development to the active displacement of carbon-intensive fossil fuels. The appointment aligns with MGA Thermal’ s expansion strategy following a USD 17M capital raise earlier this year dedicated to scaling its commercial capability and accelerating the market deployment of its proprietary thermal block technology. As volatile gas prices, supply shortfalls and looming emissions |
penalties squeeze manufacturers, MGA Thermal’ s newly expanded commercial division will focus on enabling heavy industry to displace fossil fuels with costcompetitive, electro-thermal energy storage( ETES) solutions. Fyffe believes that while largescale grid batteries dominate headlines, the next horizon of the energy transition lies in replacing fossil-fueled process heat. This abatement challenge has historically lacked a commercially viable solution. A key part of Fyffe’ s mandate will be exploring alternative commercial models that reduce |
barriers to adoption for heavy industrial customers— an area where long capital approval cycles and complex internal risk requirements have historically slowed the uptake of new technologies. This commercial thinking is already informing MGA Thermal’ s approach to its 200 megawatthour Front-End Engineering and Design( FEED) study with global chemicals giant Tronox in Western Australia. Fyffe brings over 25 years of executive experience across energy markets, renewables, and deep-tech commercialisation. |
|||
Beijer Ref to acquire Refra |
||||||
|
Beijer Ref has signed an agreement to acquire 90 % of the shares in Refra, with an option to acquire the remaining shares. Refra is a well-known European manufacturer of natural refrigerant HVAC / R systems, based in Lithuania. The company has an annual turnover of approximately SEK 500M with good profitability. Established in 1994, Refra is headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania. The company specializes in custom-engineered cooling and heating solutions using natural refrigerants such as
CO 2
( R744) and propane( R290). Building on its heritage in CO 2 refrigeration, the company has evolved into a leading European
|
provider of high-efficiency propane chillers and heat pumps. Refra will continue to operate under its own brand. The acquisition is expected to have a minor positive impact on Beijer Ref’ s results. The parties have signed a binding agreement; however, the transaction needs to be approved by the competition authority in Lithuania as a condition of closing. Jonas Steen, COO EMEA, comments:“ This is a strategically important acquisition for Beijer Ref. It will strengthen our OEM portfolio with proprietary technology for indirect cooling and heating systems using natural refrigerants, with particular |
expertise in hydrocarbon-based solutions, while also expanding our customer base in CO 2
-based refrigeration.” Joel Davidsson, acting CEO and CFO of Beijer Ref, comments:“ As demand for natural refrigerant solutions continues to grow,
|
this acquisition enhances our offering and creates opportunities to leverage our global sales network. We look forward to working closely with the existing management team to build on the company’ s strong market position.” |