In this episode of The SAF Podcast, we sit down with Martin Forman, Director at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), to explore the challenges and opportunities in financing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) projects. With a background spanning energy M&A, hydrogen, CCS, and biofuels, Martin brings a pan-European and global view on decarbonisation finance.

We discuss why Japanese institutions—particularly trading houses and banks—have become such active SAF investors, and how Japan’s domestic SAF mandates are triggering large-scale international investments. Martin explains SMBC’s strategic interest across the SAF value chain, from project lending to aircraft leasing and storage infrastructure, and outlines what makes a SAF project attractive from a lender's perspective.

The conversation dives deep into equity versus debt in project finance, the challenges of funding first-of-a-kind SAF technologies, and the growing importance of public-private partnerships. Martin shares candid insights on why equity—more than debt—is the bottleneck, and how regulation, price certainty, and government support mechanisms like Project SkyPower are critical for unlocking financing and achieving 2030 mandate targets.

Finally, Forman discusses SMBC's preference for club lending arrangements, strategic sponsors over financial investors, and the importance of proximity to feedstock sources.

If you enjoyed this discussion check out our previous episode with Richard Mathers, Honeywell here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2202964/episodes/17475885

In this episode of The SAF Podcast we are joined by Richard Mathers, Senior Director of Business Development at Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions, for an in-depth exploration of Honeywell’s expanding role in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology.

If you follow any form of SAF news, you will have heard of Honeywell given their announcements of the ongoing $1.8bn all cash acquisition of Johnson Matthey's Catalyst Technology solutions business and the formation of the SAF Alliance alongside Johnson Matthey, Samsung Electronics E&A, GIDARA Energy. These collaborations aim to streamline project delivery, reduce capital expenditure by up to 10%, and accelerate project timelines by 15%.

First, Richard walks us through Honeywell’s approach to technology licensing, project financing, and feedstock flexibility across multiple SAF pathways—including HEFA, ethanol-to-jet, methanol-to-jet (eFining), and FT-Unicracking.

Richard explains the critical role technology licensors play beyond just providing technology – from performance guarantees and warranties to supporting project finance and reducing perceived risks throughout the project lifecycle.

Richard provides valuable insights into technology licensing benefits, project financing considerations, and how Honeywell's evolutionary approach to proven technologies helps de-risk SAF production investments.

If you enjoyed this discussion check out our previous episode with SKyNRG and ICF discussing their recent Global Market Outlook report here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2202964/episodes/17435560

This week's SAF Podcast is our now annual deep dive into the global SAF Market Outlook from SkyNRG and ICF. This year we were joined by Anna Liznerova, SkyNRG and Mark Kelly, ICF. After weeks of late nights and weekends on this extra curricular project they share key insights and methodologies from the report.

The conversation kicks off with the key takeaways from the report notably, Europe's role as the backbone of SAF demand with strong mandates requiring over one million tonnes in 2025, rising to four million tonnes by 2030. Despite Europe driving demand, it represents only 18% of global jet fuel uplift, highlighting the critical need for policy development beyond European borders.

Another major takeaway is Asia's remarkable growth, now accounting for nearly 30% of announced SAF capacity by 2030, overtaking Europe and trailing only the United States. The rise raising important questions about feedstock diversion, sustainability concerns, and potential fraud in waste oil supplies from the region.

The discussion delves into demand modeling challenges, examining three scenarios ranging from pessimistic, realistic and optimistic outlooks through 2050. Mark explains the methodology behind forecasting policy-driven versus voluntary corporate demand, while Anna details SkyNRG's production mapping approach across nearly 400 global projects.

The final and new section of the report, Mark and Anna give an overview of the "HEFA tipping point" – when demand for HEFA based SAF will exceed available sustainable feedstocks, likely around 2030-2031. This timeline creates urgency for advancing alternative pathways like e-fuels, which face their own regulatory and economic challenges. The experts navigate the complex interplay between policy design, investor confidence, technical feasibility, and sustainability imperatives that will determine SAF's future.

What emerges is a nuanced picture: despite delays and setbacks, the industry continues moving forward, though perhaps not as rapidly as hoped. The coming years will be critical for project development, particularly for facilities using advanced technologies beyond conventional HEFA.

With the amount of developments globally in SAF, is 30 pages enough to cover the ground or does it need extending to a 200 page thesis?

Check out the full report here, it is well worth a read: https://skynrg.com/safmo25/

If you enjoyed this check out our previous discussion with Jim Stonecipher, EdyMac about the lessons industry can learn from failed projects like Fulcrum BioEnergy: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2202964/episodes/17395177