The SAF Podcast

On this week's episode of The SAF Podcast, we are going to share a full discussion that occurred at SAF Investor London looking into "Finding Project Finance". Al Whyte, moderated a panel including; Wray Thorn, Focus Impact Partners, Andrew Eckhardt, Cranmore Partners, James Falzon, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Martin Forman, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation...

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. The episode begins with Oliver giving a great summary of the findings of their 2023 end of year report for private inve...

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. A diverse gathering of producers, investors, customers and many other companies integral to the industry's development gathered to discuss the major issues the industry faces in scaling production. We discuss...

This episode Oscar sits down with Wendy Owens of Hexas Biomass. Wendy, a trailblazer with a captivating career journey, unveils the potential of Xanograss and the Xanofiber it creates which can be used for sustainable construction and as a biofuel feedstock. Her insights offer a flight path into how non-food, second-generation bioenergy crops could revolutionise the SAF supply chain and fulfill th...

With SAF being the only current solution to decarbonising air travel on existing aircraft, should the owners of around half the global fleet, the aircraft lessors, be putting more skin in the game? This is a large component to this week's episode where Al spoke to Natasha Mann, CEO, Future Energy Global. Natasha launched Future Energy Global in early 2024, but she has a long history in the av...

This latest episode of The SAF Podcast Oscar is joined by Nicole Sautter, Director of Global Sustainability, American Express Global Business Travel (AMEX GBT). Corporate customers have a strong role to play in signalling ongoing demand for Sustainable Aviation Fuel. We discuss why AMEX GBT got involved in SAF. They have also been integral in setting up the blockchain backed book and claim system,...

This week Al sat down with Austin Willis, CEO, Willis Lease Finance Corporation to discuss their diversification into Sustainable Aviation Fuel production. The conversation unpacks the transformative journey of Willis Lease, from its roots leasing engines to a broad-spectrum powerhouse, and shines a spotlight on their pioneering endeavour to produce sustainable aviation fuel in Teesside, UK. With...

 On this episode of The SAF Podcast we shake the format up as Al is joined by Mukul Hariharan, United Airlines Ventures and Robert Birdsey, Green Front Energy. If you've ever pondered the financial gears that turn behind the scenes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) projects, look no further. Tackling the intricacies of renewable fuel supply chains and the hurdles of scaling up from small-sca...

Welcome to 2024 and we are beginning the year by taking a look back at the big developments and news from 2023 with the SAF Investor team: Al Whyte, Oscar Henderson and Fayaz Hussain. We discuss our favourite news items from the past year like United Airline's appointment of Oscar the Grouch as Chief Trash Officer, the policy announcement from Europe with ReFuelEU and the transatlantic flight...

The latest episode of The SAF Podcast is this week with, Jim Lockheed, Investment Principal, JetBlue Ventures. Jim gives us an insider's perspective on the intersection of aerospace, entrepreneurship, and venture capital. From his time in the Air Force to his stint at Boeing and his foray into the world of drones, Jim's unique journey is one you wouldn't want to miss. Plus, he share...

 On this week's episode of The SAF Podcast  we chat with James Hygate, CEO of Firefly Green Fuels. James unveils the fascinating world of hydrothermal liquefaction technology and how it can transform sewage into bio crude and biochar, opening the gateway to a new era of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production. As we navigate through the conversation, James sheds light on his background in...

On the latest episode of The SAF Podcast, our editor Fayaz chats with Daniel Bloch, a SAF specialist from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Daniel is here to connect the dots between the crucial role of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in achieving these targets and how his role at IATA aligns with the ambitious net-zero 2050 aspirations. In a world where the climate crisis needs...

Who knew that a career in retail could lead you to combatting climate change? We're joined by Andreea Moyes, Global Head of Sustainability at Air bp, who shares how she's now spearheading the charge towards sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Listen in as she shares the industry's perspective on Co-Processing, eFuels, power to liquid technology, why Air bp has not signed any offtake ag...

This week we pivot back to the airline and customer side of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) with Jonathan Pardoe, Fuel Specialist with Star Alliance, the oldest global airline alliance starting back in 1997. Jonathan has a wealth of experience and knowledge about the fuelling challenges for airlines. Topics discussed include: 00.48 - Background and how SAF adoption affects airline operations 0...

The SAF Podcast had the pleasure of speaking to one of the 'Grandfathers' of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel industry, the president and CEO of World Energy, Gene Gebolys. World Energy was the world's first producer of SAF and has been leading the industry in the renewable fuel space for 25 years. It has set the ambitious challenge of producing 1 billion gallons of SAF by 2050. Al and...

The SAF Podcast turns back to producers this week with Steven Fance , CEO and CTO, Cultiv8 Hemp Solutions, who has a great conversation with SAF Investor editor, Fayaz Hussain. Hemp is already being used across various industries from textile, construction and the automotive industry and have a great potential to play a key role in global decarbonisation efforts.  Culti8 Hemp Solutions are using i...

In our latest episode of The SAF Podcast Al sits down with Jonathon Counsell, group head of sustainability, International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus. Jonathon is one of the longest serving airline sustainability heads globally and he shares his thoughts on the role airlines play in signalling demand to investors and how he is firm in...

This weeks The SAF Podcast episode sees Al sit down with Pablo Fexer, Managing Director, 360 Jet Fuel. Pablo has a really interesting background, first encountering Sustainable Aviation Fuel during his time at OMV. Now at 360 Jet Fuel he advises business jet operators and airlines on SAF, including a couple of airline equity investments. Pablo discusses many critical issues including: 1.20 - Backg...

Sarah Ellerby, CEO, Nova Pangaea Technologies (NPT) is the latest guest to sit down with Al on The SAF Podcast. Nova Pangaea Technologies are a UK based company looking whose patented REFNOVA technology can create fantastic added value to almost all waste plant biomass, including the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).  Currently, Nova Pangaea Technologies is currently most notably work...

In our latest episode of the SAF Podcast Alasdair has a brilliant discussion with John Hannon, COO, Vertimass. Vertimass are a US based biofuel company that produces Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from ethanol using their Vertimass Catalyst Technology. This process does not require external Hydrogen and can produce SAF with low capital costs and operating costs. They also can co-locate their faci...

The latest episode of the The SAF Podcast had Jean Paquin, CEO, SAF+ have a passionate discussion with Alasdair about the potential of e-fuels for sustainable aviation. SAF+ is a Montreal based Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) producer using the Power-to-Liquid process to synthesise SAF from CO2 and hydrogen. SAF+ is part of the The Skies the Limit Challenge started by the Canadian government to se...

In the latest episode of the SAF Podcast Alasdair sits down with Jimmy Samartzis, CEO, LanzaJet. LanzaJet was spun out of LanzaTech in 2020 and are the industry leaders when it comes to Alcohol-to-Jet Sustainable Aviation Fuel production pathway. With their Freedom Pines facility in Georgia scheduled for commercial production later in 2023 and other projects in New Zealand, Australia, India and th...

Matteo Mirolo, Aviation Policy Manager, Transport & Environment was the most recent guest on The SAF Podcast. T&E are a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Brussels that stretches across Europe,  working to make all transport across the continent more sustainable. Matteo's main focus is on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), mainly, e-fuels and mitigating the non-CO2 effects of...

For the latest episode of The SAF Podcast, Al sat down with Chris Brown, Partner, Aviation Strategy & Global Chair, Future of Flight, KPMG. Chris has over 15 years' worth of experience across growth and decarbonisation strategies in aviation. What makes Chris a really interesting guest is that he is gives one of the more sceptical perspectives on whether Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) su...

This week, The SAF Podcast, had the pleasure of speaking to John May, Managing Director, Hamilton Clark. John is one of, if not the, leading project financier for SAF projects in the world having worked with industry leaders such as: Fulcrum BioEnergy, Gevo, LanzaJet and Fulcrum BioEnergy, among many others. John is also known for popularising Technology Risk Insurance in SAF project finance, whic...