The SAF Podcast

SAF Investor’s The SAF Podcast brings together the people shaping the future of sustainable aviation fuel. This includes producers, customers, financiers, critics and others from the market. 

It is available on all podcasting platforms. 

Season 2

The SAF Podcast: Producing on the public markets and the full contact sport of finding investment – 17th April 2024

The SAF Podcast this episode was joined by Mihir Dange, XCF Global Capital and Wray Thorn, Focus Impact Partners to discuss their recent merger announced in March and pending public listing later in 2024.  We dive into  XCF’s business model and their confidence in their aggressive strategy and have a look at the investor producer relationship from first meetings to the everyday. Check out the full conversation below:

The SAF Podcast: Supporting production through Revenue Certainty Mechanisms – 04 April 2024

The SAF Podcast was delighted to be joined by Gaynor Hartnell and Tom Reid from the Renewable Transport Fuel Association. SAF Producers are desperately in need of long standing support to help them develop SAF production facilities, in this episode we discuss how revenue certainty mechanisms can be a cornerstone in giving producers stability to be able to cover their investment debts. We also discuss the UK policy landscape and working with the UK government. Catch the full episode below: 

The SAF Podcast: Finding Project Finance – 21st March 2024

This week’s podcast is a full panel discussion from our recent SAF Investor London conference. Our expert panellists delve into the critical aspects of price discovery, feedstock costs, and the necessity for robust commercial structures. With technology as a cornerstone in SAF production and regulatory frameworks steering the market, we highlight how these factors shape investor interest and confidence in green initiatives. Check out the full episode below.

The SAF Podcast: Unstacking the Climate Investment Stack – 13th March 2024

This week on The SAF Podcast, Oscar is delighted to be joined by Oliver Booth from Sightline Climate. The conversation reveals the layers of complexity in defining climate tech and exploring the nature of the climate capital stack, and how it relates to Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Listen to the full conversation below.

The SAF Podcast: Conference Round Up – 6th March 2024

In this episode the SAF Investor team of Alasdair Whyte, Fayaz Hussain and Oscar Henderson give you a quick round up and review of last week’s first SAF Investor London conference. We discuss our highlight moments from the conference, key takeaways that we have, our favourite discussions as well as what surprised us. Check out the full discussion below.

The SAF Podcast: Biomass, burgeoning land economies and “the whole buffalo” – 21st February 2024

This week we had Wendy Owens, Hexas Biomass take us through the properties of Xanograss and why it is a great feedstock for SAF production. We discuss the benefits of second generation biomasses and energy crops including growing bioeconomies in emerging markets and aligning regional economic and global sustainability development. Catch the full episode below. 

The SAF Podcast: Understanding aircraft leasing and SAF & the launch of Future Energy Global – 15th February 2024

This episode Natasha Mann, Future Energy Global explains the role aircraft lessors have in scaling SAF production and how her new venture Future Energy Global, plans to facilitate SAF production investment through pre-purchasing agreements. Catch the full episode below.

The SAF Podcast: Business Travel – Making the more sustainable choice – 08th February 2024

This week Nicole Sautter, American Express Global Business Travel, explains the important role corporate customers have in signalling demand for SAF, the Avelia Book and Claim platform and why they invested in United Airline Ventures’ Sustainable Flight Fund. Find the full episode below.

Combustion engines to financial engines: Willis Lease Finance Corp move into e-fuels – 24th January 2024

Austin explains why he got involved in SAF production and what makes e-fuels the attractive option. We also get into the weeds on the process of building a refinery and moving from engine leasing to having to negotiate the financial engines. Catch full conversation below.

The challenges of raising capital – 17th December 2023

This week we shake up the format as both Robert Birdsey, GreenFront Energy Partners and Mukul Hariharan, United Airlines Ventures  discuss the the importance of the relationship between project financiers and the SAF. They also discuss which level of finance is the hardest to acquire. Catch the full episode below:

SAF wrapped 2023 – 10th January 2024

Our first podcast of 2024 sees the SAF Podcast hosts discuss their most interesting bits of news from 2023, including Virgin Atlantic’s transatlantic flight and RefuelEU policy announcements. We also cast our eye forward to what we think 2024 has in store. Catch the full episode below.

Season 1

Jim Lockheed, Investment Principal, JetBlue Ventures – 13th December 2023

Lockheed discusses the approach to investing in early stage technology start ups, the close knit relationship between the airline and the investment arm. We also discuss their first SAF investment, The Air Company, and the challenge of the financing gap between early stage and project financing. Find the full episode here.

James Hygate, Co-Founder & CEO, Firefly Green Fuels – 06th December 2023

Hygate explains the potential of sewage as a feedstock for SAF production, the efficiencies of the Hydrothermal Liquefaction production pathway, their approach to agreeing offtake agreements with customers and the potential that India has for SAF production. Find the full episode here.

Daniel Bloch, SAF Specialist, International Air Transport Association – 22nd November 2023

Bloch discusses how choice of feedstocks can have a dramatic effect on commercial dynamics, the complexities of achieving long term emissions targets, and the importance of laying the global foundations now in order to scale supply. Find the full episode here.

Andreea Moyes, global head of Sustainability, Air bp – 15th November 2023

Moyes explains bp’s Co-Processing and the role this has to play in increasing SAF availability, why they have not signed any offtake agreements and the importance of strong strategic partnerships and roadmaps to achieving the Net Zero 2050 aim. Find the full episode here.

Jonathan Pardoe, Fuel Specialist, Star Alliance – 8th November 2023

Pardoe explains what airlines can do to mitigate the supply and demand imbalance, the steps to narrowing the price gap to Jet A1 and is there the potential mismatch between the regulatorily active European and US markets and those in Asia and the Middle East. Listen to the full episode here. 

Gene Gebolys, president & CEO, World Energy – 2nd November 2023

Gebolys highlights the commercial importance of the Book and Claim system, but also how it only remains viable if there is strong integrity on the buy side of the equation. He also discusses the recent deals with Microsoft and DHL, the investment in Valent and why World Energy might or might not be a terrible place to work. Listen to the full episode here.

Steven Fance, CEO & CTO, Cultiv8 Hemp Solutions – 26th October 2023

Fance discusses the benefits Hemp has as a feedstock for SAF production, how much of the ongoing demand it could satisfy. Fance also explains to SAF Investor Editor, Fayaz Hussain, what a virtual powerplant is and how AI can assist in satisfying demand. Catch the full episode here.

Jonathon Counsell, group head of sustainability, International Airlines Group – 18th October 2023

Counsell explains IAG’s approach to Sustainable Aviation Fuel through long term offtake agreements and investments. He explains the importance of diversification in SAF pathways and how crucial it is that airlines work collaboratively globally to help decarbonise the industry, not just their own operations. Listen to the full episode here.

Pablo Fexer, managing director, 360 Jet Fuel – 11th October 2023

Fexer dives into the world of offtake agreements, whether there is a way to simplify them, are smaller and regional airlines at risk of being marginalised from supply. The discussion also moves to the questions investors should ask about offtake agreements, advice to producers who are looking for offtake agreements and if SAF will become commoditised or if SAF Futures will be created to stabilise market pricing. Listen here.

Sarah Ellerby, CEO, Nova Pangaea Technologies – 05th October 2023

Ellerby discusses the recent investment by IAG, the ongoing progress of Project Speedbird which they are doing in partnership with Lanzajet and British Airways, and explains the benefit of their REFNOVA technology.  Other topics discuss include the challenges of raises money outside of the major US and EU markets and where Nova Pangaea Technologies is looking to expand beyond the UK. Listen here. 

John Hannon, COO, Vertimass – 20th September 2023

Hannon takes us through the benefits of Vertimass Catalyst Technology in refinery SAF from Alcohol, the option of co-locating with existing Ethanol refineries to lower CAPEX costs, the role techno-economic anaylses have in understanding the issues of scalability and he runs through the progress of their series C funding round. listen here.

Jean Paquin, CEO, SAF+ Consortium – 6th September 2023

Paquin explains the opportunities that power-to-liquid (PtL) fuels present for aviation, the vast availability of renewable power in Montreal, a real benefit for PtL fuel production, the importance of a portfolio approach to stakeholders as well as the recent offtake agreement with KLM Group. Listen here.

Jimmy Samartzis, CEO, LanzaJet – 23rd August 2023

Samartzis explains why everyone involved in the SAF industry needs to speed up, the importance of having the right shareholders for project development and he discusses when the Freedom Pines facility in Georgia will begin commercial production.  Listen here. 

Matteo Mirolo, Aviation Policy Manager, Transport & Environment – 16th August 2023

Mirolo dives into the issues of feedstock fraud with used cooking oil and the concept of ‘crypto SAF’ being developed from complicated book-and-claim systems, both of which are potential hurdles to the transparency the SAF industry needs to attract further investment.  Listen here.

Chris Brown, Partner, Aviation Strategy & Global Chair, Future of Flight, KPMG – 9th August 2023

Brown shares his thoughts on the realistic chance SAF has on making its targets, why he is more bullish on e-fuels and the crucial role Carbon Capture and offsetting will have in decarbonising aviation. Listen here. 

John May, Managing Director, Hamilton Clark – 2nd August 2023

May discusses the challenges of finding investors, the sorts of investors technology start ups and licensee projects should look for, as well as a deep dive into explaining what technology risk insurance is, and how it works. Listen here.

Sylvain Verdier, Senior Strategy Manager, Corporate Strategy, Topsoe – 14th July 2023

Verdier discusses Lego bricks, the issues of getting approval and whether we are likely to meet 2050 emissions targets, as well as Topsoe’s new joint venture with Sasol, their first venture into being a fuel producer themselves. Listen here.

Kennedy Ricci, President, 4AIR – 3rd July 2023

Ricci talks about the importance of feedstock transparency and traceability and how SAF fits into an overall sustainability picture alongside electric and hydrogen powered aircraft. Listen here.  

Patrick Edmond, Managing Director, Altair Advisory – 16th June 2023

Edmond talks what is preventing large scale production ramp up, the importance of clear regulations and why Ireland could become a production hub. Listen here.

Tim Obitts, Acting CEO, Alder – 9th June 2023

Obitts talks regulation, the economics of SAF, the role of big oil, and raising capital. Listen here

The SAF Podcast is produced by Oscar Henderson

If you would be interested in speaking on it please email him.