Shubhda Kaushik, Alternative Energy Company: Bankability and The Decisive Decade

podcast

by Oscar Henderson

May 7, 2026

Date: 7 May 2026

In this episode of The SAF Podcast, Oscar is joined by Shubhda Kaushik, managing director & chief executive officer, Alternative Energy Company, to explore what it really takes to move sustainable aviation fuel projects from ambition to final investment decision.

Drawing on experience at Standard Chartered, Bain and McKinsey and Maersk, giving her a rounded perspective across finance, strategy and commercial practicality. Shubhda explains why capital for energy transition projects is not scarce, but selective — and why bankability must be built in from day zero.

The conversation also dives into Shubhda’s new book, The Decisive Decade – 2026 Volume I: A Practitioner’s Manual – What will it take to win on bankability in the next phase of energy transition.

We explore the core bankability framework behind it: revenue certainty, infrastructure access, execution capability and risk allocation.

This is just volume I, so if you enjoyed this stay tuned for volume II for a check in on the energy transition’s progress.

This is a practical discussion for SAF producers, airlines, investors, lenders and anyone trying to understand why so many projects look promising on paper but struggle to reach financial close.

This episode gives you a great introduction to what is explain at length in the book, which you can find here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Decisive-Decade-Practitioners-bankability-transition/dp/B0GZHQR25T/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MEKZBXCEA3ZB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ikEBk10suF88vWdw1KH_CcBNnz9j6PniHNHHDWsie_fENicXTm3b2WClyMPMQ4pLvgKL6EJah0NMTppyB8GMRvqW_nJ3SG99vgYueNEUz1I.rZjcjiPvwirmc57l23MD1XG5HYaUI2osS2EXQErFT6I&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+decisive+decade&qid=1778142508&sprefix=the+decisive+decad%2Caps%2C293&sr=8-1

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