ATOBA, Flying Forest to explore SAF offtake agreement

Advanced renewable fuels producer Flying Forest has signed a letter of intent with midstream sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) aggregator ATOBA Energy for a long-term SAF offtake agreement.

“Flying Forest leading edge technology enables a cost efficient transformation of residues to SAF. By adding Flying Forest to our aggregation platform, we can offer airlines price competitiveness and stability while providing Flying Forest the long-term commitments they need to reach final investment decision,” said Arnaud Namer, CEO of ATOBA Energy.

The partnership will support Flying Forest’s project in Finland while advancing ATOBA’s mission to bridge the gap between SAF producers and airlines.

Flying Forest’s project, located in Iisalmi, Finland, will convert local wood waste into SAF using advanced methanol-to-jet technology. The facility is designed to produce 200,000 tons of SAF annually, across three production lines – with potential expansion to nearby sites.

The project leverages Finland’s abundant forestry residues, with Flying Forest securing agreements with local sawmills for up to 3.75m tons of sawmill co-products and non-commercial round wood annually.

“Scaling SAF requires innovative commercial models that work for both producers and end customers,” said Paul Groves, CEO of Flying Forest. “This collaboration with ATOBA Energy builds the aligned ecosystem we need to drive innovation, catalyse investment, and accelerate SAF deployment globally.”

The collaboration addresses a critical challenge in the SAF industry of dilemma between producers needing stable long-term contracts to secure project financing and airlines seeking competitive, flexible pricing.

ATOBA’s aggregation model provides Flying Forest with bankable offtake commitments while offering airlines access to diversified SAF supply at competitive market rates.