The SAF Podcast

This week's episode sees Vinesh Sinha, CEO, FatHopes Energy, joins Oscar Henderson for a conversation on the SAF Podcast. 

Vinesh Sinha dropped out of university in 2007, inspired by a Top Gear episode, and built FatHopes Energy into one of Southeast Asia's most sophisticated sustainable fuel feedstock operations — with a digital traceability platform years ahead of the competition.

In this episode, Vinesh talks feedstock aggregation, the realities of scaling a waste-oil supply chain across Southeast Asia, and why FatHopes Energy is now moving into SAF refining with a 300,000-tonne greenfield plant targeting operations by 2030. 

Plus: the truth about POME and palm oil, why AI is the only way to solve traceability at scale, and why Vinesh thinks the SAF industry is dangerously underestimating three things — feedstock, infrastructure, and integrity.

This is a wide ranging conversation and one that digs into the critical components that is helping build Malaysia as a SAF global hub.

Check out the full episode on your favourite platforms or use the link in the comments.

In this episode of The SAF Podcast, Oscar is joined by Shubhda Kaushik, managing director & chief executive officer, Alternative Energy Company, to explore what it really takes to move sustainable aviation fuel projects from ambition to final investment decision. Drawing on experience at Standard Chartered, Bain and McKinsey and Maersk, giving her a rounded perspective across finance, strategy and commercial practicality. Shubhda explains why capital for energy transition projects is not scarce, but selective — and why bankability must be built in from day zero.
The conversation also dives into Shubhda’s new book, The Decisive Decade - 2026 Volume I: A Practitioner's Manual - What will it take to win on bankability in the next phase of energy transition.
We explore the core bankability framework behind it: revenue certainty, infrastructure access, execution capability and risk allocation. 
This is just volume I, so if you enjoyed this stay tuned for volume II for a check in on the energy transition's progress.
This is a practical discussion for SAF producers, airlines, investors, lenders and anyone trying to understand why so many projects look promising on paper but struggle to reach financial close.
This episode gives you a great introduction to what is explain at length in the book, which you can find here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Decisive-Decade-Practitioners-bankability-transition/dp/B0GZHQR25T/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MEKZBXCEA3ZB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ikEBk10suF88vWdw1KH_CcBNnz9j6PniHNHHDWsie_fENicXTm3b2WClyMPMQ4pLvgKL6EJah0NMTppyB8GMRvqW_nJ3SG99vgYueNEUz1I.rZjcjiPvwirmc57l23MD1XG5HYaUI2osS2EXQErFT6I&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+decisive+decade&qid=1778142508&sprefix=the+decisive+decad%2Caps%2C293&sr=8-1

Noaman Al Adhami, UK Country Head at Alfanar Projects, is this week's guest on The SAF Podcast. 
He joins Oscar for a discussion into Lighthouse Green Fuels — one of the UK’s most closely watched sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) projects. We begin by looking at why Alfanar chose to initially focus SAF production in the UK and the decisions around site selection.
We then explore what it takes to develop a second-generation SAF project at scale, including the gasification and FT-SPK pathway, feedstock selection, carbon capture, project financing, and the role of the UK SAF mandate in creating the right conditions for investment. 
Noaman also explains why Alfanar is starting with biomass and agricultural residues, how the project could evolve towards more challenging waste feedstocks, the ongoing Carbon Capture application they have recently submitted and how the project has been financed to this point and future plans for financing project construction.
If you want to understand the real-world challenges of scaling advanced SAF production in the UK, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.
There is still time to submit your applications for the SAF Investor Deal of the Year Awards, we would love to hear from you about any financing deals that have taken place over the past year, your application can be submitted here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwrzV8VN8oqA6c-e0GMlgZmttTQ-U-1D9XxnOgeeQV-ITeiQ/viewform?usp=header

In this episode of The SAF Podcast, Oscar is joined by Patrick Sieb, Managing Partner at Climate Tech Partners, for a conversation on what it really takes to finance and scale sustainable aviation fuel. From Series A climate tech investing to corporate-startup partnerships and the infrastructure challenges behind SAF production, Patrick shares a practical investor’s view on how promising technologies can move from early traction to commercial deployment.
Climate Tech Partners investment model is based on deep due diligence, originating from his time a Macquarie, with focus in Transport, Energy and Mining sectors. 
We dive into a variety of topics including:
How Climate Tech Partners approaches Series A climate tech investing and why that stage can be critical for SAF and other capital-intensive technologies
Why bridging the “valley of death” remains one of the biggest challenges for deep tech and aviation decarbonisation startups
How corporate relationships can help de-risk investments, including Climate Tech Partners’ work with Qantas and Airbus
The practicalities of running a VC fund, raising capital from LPs and portfolio diversification
What the dedicated sidecar investment vehicle means for aviation-focused climate technologies and SAF-related opportunities
Why SAF scale-up depends on much more than strong technology, including the role of feedstock, infrastructure, energy and financing
What investors are really looking for when assessing techno-economics, commercial traction and science risk
Why climate tech is shifting from “moonshot” narratives to more pragmatic pathways focused on cost parity and bankability
How Australia and the wider APAC region could fit into the future of sustainable aviation fuel production and aviation decarbonisation
Also another reminder that we are still accepting applications for the SAF Investor Deal of the Year awards. If you worked on a deal we would love for you to submit it via the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwrzV8VN8oqA6c-e0GMlgZmttTQ-U-1D9XxnOgeeQV-ITeiQ/viewform?usp=header

In this episode of The SAF Podcast, Oscar is joined by Nico Nicholas, Co-Founder and CEO of Zeero Group, for a discussion on the commercial and strategic realities of scaling the Hydrothermal Liquefaction SAF pathway. The conversation goes beyond the technical basics to look at how waste-to-fuel projects are financed, how they can be tailored to local infrastructure needs, and why collaboration across sectors may be essential if SAF is to scale at pace.
We dive into a variety of topics including:
How ZEERO Group is approaching project development, with each facility structured around local waste streams, local infrastructure and location-specific business models
Why combining waste management and fuel production could create a stronger commercial case for SAF-linked projects
The financing logic behind these developments, including co-investment models, strategic partners and government-backed support mechanisms
Why investor confidence and proof of delivery remain critical for emerging pathways looking to move from concept to commercial scale
The role of certification timelines and regulatory processes in shaping how quickly new SAF pathways can enter the market
Why scaling SAF may require much deeper collaboration between aviation, municipalities, tourism, shipping and energy stakeholders
This discussion picks up on some key themes from across the SAF industry so is well worth a listen if you are part of the growing ecosystem that is going o make commercial SAF production a global success. We also almost manage to go the whole episode without a crude joke/pun...almost!
We are also currently accepting applications for the SAF Investor Deal of the Year awards. If you have been involved in a financing deal in the last year, we would love to hear about it. You can find the application form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwrzV8VN8oqA6c-e0GMlgZmttTQ-U-1D9XxnOgeeQV-ITeiQ/viewform