Poten at ABLC Leadership Summit, The Path to SAF at Scale

Last week at ABLC in Washington, DC, Poten & Partners’ Sarah Boisvert spoke at the Leadership Summit, The Path to SAF at Scale. She shared insights from our expanded U.S. clean fuels and chemicals team, which brings deep experience across Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and the broader energy transition.

Sarah explained why SAF has emerged as the leading solution for decarbonizing aviation, citing its advantages in energy density, safety, and compatibility with existing infrastructure. She also highlighted the main drivers of market growth, including regulatory frameworks, airline emissions targets, and increasing demand from consumers and other end users.

She reviewed the leading SAF production pathways and noted that many of the underlying technologies are already relatively mature. Sarah then addressed a key question: if demand is strong and the technology is advancing, what is holding the market back? She pointed to several barriers, including feedstock constraints, regulatory limitations, uncertain demand, and the time and money needed to further advance available technologies. The most significant obstacle, she noted, is the gap between production costs and what buyers are willing to pay.

She closed on an optimistic note, emphasizing that these challenges also create opportunities: for technology developers to reduce costs, for marketplaces to connect participants across the value chain, for airlines to invest and integrate operations, and for countries to establish leadership in this emerging market.

To discuss SAF markets, technologies, or opportunities, please reach out to Sarah Boisvert at sarah.boisvert@poten.com.