The SAF Podcast

• The SAF Podcast: Alaska Airlines - Focusing on what you can control

  In this episode of The SAF Podcast, Diana Birkett Rakow, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Alaska Airlines and incoming CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, joins Oscar for a deep dive into how the airlines are shaping their SAF strategy and how it plays into overall emissions reductions ambitions. We dig into Alaska’s five-part path to net zero by 2040—operational efficiency, fleet renewal, SAF, new propulsion and airframes, and only then high-quality removals—and why the middle lever, sustainable aviation fuel, is the one that can move emissions at scale this decade.We also discuss how potentially the role of the airline in scaling SAF is changing, traditional offtakes alone won’t unlock the market. Agreements with Neste, World Energy, Cosmo Oil and Philips 66 get molecules of SAF into the ring, but are not having the desired fly wheel effect of indicating the level of demand to scale production. Diana highlights the real change will come from building deep partnerships with early stage producers developing new technologies, such as Twelve and AIRCO alongside investments from their Alaska Star Ventures investment arm.  This has been expanded with the new $150 million fund launched with Breakthrough Energy Ventures and oneworld Alliance partners, designed to identify and scale next-generation SAF technologies. With deep technical expertise and a global lens, the fund targets pathways that can scale, hit strong carbon intensity scores, and compete on costWe also look at the more regional scale work being done in Hawaii with the Par Hawaii. There is a real drive to build out renewable energy security highlighted by the  $90 million investment in renewable fuel production and trials of camelina as a locally-grown feedstock.

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• The SAF Podcast: Catagen - The modular route to decentralised SAF supply

  Hot off the heels of their public announcement, Mel Courtney, Catagen is the latest guest on The SAF Podcast. We discuss the spinning out of Catagen ClimaHtech Green Flight, utilizing the technology honed in the 15 years of emissions testing, for their modular sustainable aviation fuel facilities through electrified reverse water gas shift Fischer-Tropsch. Unlike conventional centralized refineries, their modular approach produces between one and ten million liters of neat SAF annually, designed to co-locate with existing renewable energy infrastructure. This strategy unlocks untapped potential from smaller wind farms across the UK and Europe that typically go underutilized by large-scale industrial operations.We break down Catagen's financing strategy. Government grants helped reach TRL 7. Currently they are engaged in a SAFE note equity raise before opening up to a pre-FID £18m equity round. This is followed by a planned project investment bringing the total to £60m.This small amount of investment compared to large centralised facilities is one of the benefits Mel highlights of the modular strategy. Others include the ability to co-locate with renewable energy infrastructure, feedstocks or airports offering great operational flexibility. We touch on the recent off take announcements from the launch with Ryanair and Shell Aviation Ireland, emphasising how modular SAF facilities can suit airline economics for regional carriers. If listening to the facility description wasn't enough you can see it via the link here: https://climahtechgreenflight.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025.08.07_catagen_digital_launch_v4_subtitled-540p.mp4 

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• The SAF Podcast: PA Consulting - From Cacophony to Symphony

  This week on The SAF Podcast Kata Cserep and Salem Esber, PA Consulting join Oscar to discuss the recent Cacophony to Symphony: Successfully Scaling Sustainable Aviation Fuel report. With nearly 600 survey participants spanning airlines, airports, fuel producers, investors, and policymakers, the report reveals critical challenges in scaling SAF—most notably fragmentation across the ecosystem, cost barriers, and policy misalignment. Kata, an aviation strategist, and Salem, an energy and finance specialist, bring complementary perspectives on how aviation and energy must converge to unlock commercial-scale SAF.The conversation emphasizes that while no single stakeholder has solved the SAF scaling challenge, there's significant optimism and willingness to collaborate across the ecosystem. We discuss the belief blame graph to stress the importance of looking beyond individual niches to find cross-sector solutions, highlighting emerging innovations in project structures, risk allocation, and demand aggregation that could accelerate sustainable aviation fuel adoption globally.Key topics include regional policy differences between the US and UK approaches, with the UK taking a more collaborative industry consultation model while US policy appears more fragmented and uncertain. We discuss innovative financing structures, the role of major airlines with strong balance sheets in driving early adoption, and the development of PA Consulting's cost of decarbonization tool that helps airlines calculate long-term financial impacts.You can read the full report via the link here to see the insight in literary and pictoral forms: https://www.paconsulting.com/industries/transport/aviation/scaling-sustainable-aviation-fuel

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• The SAF Podcast: EcoCeres - Planting the seeds for SAF's bumper harvest

  This week Matti Lievonen, EcoCeres joins Oscar on The SAF Podcast. Matti shares insights from his illustrious career from the transition from traditional refining at Neste to pioneering renewable fuel production in the rapidly expanding Asian SAF market.The conversation reveals the company's innovative approach to feedstock traceability, managing relationships with over 100,000 restaurants for used cooking oil collection, and their breakthrough "easy tracer" technology that tracks feedstock origins down to individual 30-kilogram contributions.This startup mentality, backed by significant investment from Bain Capital, has enabled rapid expansion with facilities in China and Malaysia collectively producing over 700,000 tons annually.The discussion explores critical industry challenges including feedstock security, the potential impact of China's anticipated SAF mandates in their upcoming five-year plan, and the complex dynamics between regional production and global supply chains. Lievonen addresses the tension between Europe's preference for local production versus Asia's capacity for large-scale, cost-effective manufacturing and export.Key topics include strategic partnerships with airlines like British Airways, the role of private equity investment from Bain Capital and Kerogen Capital, and the urgent need for policy harmonization across regions to accelerate SAF adoption. Lievonen also discusses consumer education challenges, cost reduction strategies through novel feedstock development, and the collaborative ecosystem approach needed to achieve aviation's 2050 decarbonization targets.Despite current cost barriers, Lievenen remains optimistic about SAF's future: "If you think about the time track, SAF has been now like five years old. If you think about fossil fuel, it's 100 years old. So we have time, and I'm sure we could find a way to make SAF very competitive but also well-used." Through collaboration across airlines, suppliers, and governments, the vision of truly sustainable aviation feels increasingly within reach.

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• The SAF Podcast: ASAFA - Developing Asia's SAF road

  This week on The SAF Podcast we turn both eyes and ears to Asia with the three founders of the Asian SAF Association, Fabrice Espinosa, Gabriel Ho and Dietmar Posselt. Covering 48 vastly differing countries from the Middle East across to APAC, ASAFA aim is to promote production levels to decarbonise the regions growing aviation footprint.Rather than waiting for perfect policy frameworks, Asian countries are taking practical steps forward, setting achievable targets that create immediate momentum. This cultural pragmatism, coupled with abundant feedstock resources and growing refining capacity, positions Asia to potentially leapfrog other regions in sustainable aviation development.The conversation explores the unique challenges of Asia's diverse landscape - from feedstock traceability issues to financing innovative technologies. While mature HEFA processes using waste oils are gaining substantial investment, newer pathways utilizing regional resources like cassava-based ethanol and agricultural waste require additional support. The founders detail how they're working to mobilize capital through partnerships with development banks and create harmonized standards that could eventually unify the region's approach.Southeast Asia emerges as a particular hotspot, with Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam all developing significant production capacity that could contribute over 2 million tons of SAF within 5-8 years. Meanwhile, India's renewed focus on biofuels and ethanol production signals another major growth area. These developments are supported by a wave of national policies, with Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Korea all set to announce SAF targets or mandates.Anyone involved in SAF globally has one eye on Asia, so check out the full discussion to find out in detail the updates and trends across the region. SAF Investor New York is in two weeks on the 23rd September, it is still not too late to join us, so don't miss out and book your place here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0mv63z0

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