In this episode of The SAF Podcast, host Oscar Henderson welcomes back Gorka Penalva, Exolum, to discuss the company’s latest milestone — the launch of its new SAF blending facility at Redcliffe Bay in the UK. Gorka shares how Exolum is transforming its legacy fuel infrastructure to support a low-carbon future and reveals the vision behind what they’re calling the “SAF Superhighway.”

Exolum is taking bold steps forward in the SAF market, moving beyond the traditional wait-and-see approach that has characterized much of the industry. As an independent storage company operating over 2,000 kilometers of pipeline infrastructure that handles 40% of the UK's jet fuel, they're uniquely positioned to accelerate SAF adoption. Their decision to self-finance the Redcliffe Bay blending facility demonstrates a proactive approach to building the infrastructure needed to meet growing demand and regulatory mandates.

This episode delves into the practical challenges of adapting post-war infrastructure for modern sustainable fuel blending, the benefits of pipeline transportation versus road transport for both emissions and cost, and the critical role of both national and local government support in developing SAF infrastructure. Gorka shares insights on Exolum's year-long development process, their plans to expand blending facilities across multiple UK import locations, and how they're leveraging experience from their operations in Spain, Amsterdam, and Germany.

Gorka explains why the team chose internal financing to accelerate timelines, how a two-year concept-to-commission journey unfolded, and where the “SAF superhighway” goes next.

Policy and logistics converge here. National mandates frame the destination, while local leaders help clear the path. We discuss why both levels of government matter, what reliable imports mean for producers, and how pipelines can cut emissions and reduce congestion versus road transport. This equates to nearly 200,000 trucks. Nose to tail that would be enough to stretch the entire coastline of Great Britain.

Looking ahead 12–24 months, Exolum is mapping additional blending sites, aligning with import corridors, and engaging stakeholders, with external capital on the table for future phases. If you care about scaling SAF supply, reducing logistics emissions, and giving airports dependable access to blended fuel, this conversation lays out a grounded plan to get there.

If you want more of the back story on Exolum, listen to our first episode from earlier in the year here: https://www.safinvestor.com/podcast/146997/the-saf-podcast-exolum-throwing-saf-a-pipeline/

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 cost

We 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.

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