Roadmap to Bankability
From promising project to investor-ready
Most low-carbon fuel projects do not fail for lack of ideas. They fail between early development and FID, in the gap where a project is promising but not yet ready to be put in front of investors, lenders and offtakers. The Roadmap to Bankability is how I close that gap.
The gap
Projects often reach me raw. The feedstock is not secured. The offtake is a letter of intent. The regulatory path is unclear. The financial structure does not hold. The sponsor team lacks a key skill. Any one of these open questions is enough to stop the conversation with an investor or a lender.
Technology is only one factor among many, and rarely the deciding one. Feedstock, offtake, regulation, execution capacity, cost competitiveness and country risk matter just as much.
Two activities, one logic
I work on two things: project finance, and making projects bankable. I started with project finance, introducing projects to lenders and investors. I soon saw that many projects were not ready for that conversation, and that fixing this downstream does not work.
So I coordinate a pool of specialists around the project, with skills as varied as techno-economic analysis, financial structuring, offtake securing, including book and claim for SAF, and carbon finance, to de-risk the project before it goes to market. Bankability comes first. Project finance then becomes a real conversation.
Where is your project stuck?
Most low-carbon fuel developers come to me with one of five questions. The one lenders test first is whether the feedstock is secured. I coordinate a pool of specialists around each of them, so you deal with one point of contact from first screening to investor-ready.
Does my project hold up?
“I have a concept and a site. Is it worth taking further?”
Why it matters. Many projects spend months and budget on studies before anyone has tested the idea itself. A short independent look at technology fit, feedstock, location, market and regulation shows early whether to go on, reshape or stop. This is the purpose of an early screening.
Is my feedstock really secured?
“I have a supplier’s letter of intent. Will that be enough for a lender?”
Why it matters. Lenders test feedstock first. A letter of intent does not show volume, quality, price or continuity over the life of the loan. They look for named sources, back-up options and contract terms they can underwrite. See feedstock supply.
How do I make it bankable?
“Investors and lenders keep asking for more. What exactly do they need to see?”
Why it matters. Investors and lenders judge a project on a file, not on an idea: a feasibility study and financial model and an independent technical review that stand up to due diligence.
Who buys my fuel, and on what terms?
“I can produce the fuel. Who will sign for it, and will it qualify in Europe?”
Why it matters. A letter of intent does not carry a financing. Lenders want an offtake position they can read, and the fuel must qualify in its destination market. See offtake agreements and EU compliance and carbon intensity.
How do I secure design and operation?
“Financing is moving. How do I avoid cost overruns and a plant that underperforms?”
Why it matters. Cost overruns and underperformance are what lenders fear most after financial close. They expect independent oversight of technology maturity, contractor selection, contracts and risk allocation and commissioning.
The roadmap in four steps
The questions above lead to one method. I take a project through four steps, in this order, because each one builds on the one before. You can join at any step, and each step ends with a deliverable you can show to investors and lenders.
1. Assess the gaps
Aim: know exactly where the project stands.
Content: a review of the project across the ten dimensions below, with a readiness score and a map of the gaps.
You get: a clear list of what to fix first.
2. Structure the technical and regulatory case
Aim: a case that holds up under technical and legal scrutiny.
Content: technology choice and its risks, permitting path, regulatory position and compliance.
You get: a documented technical and regulatory case.
4. Get ready for FID
Aim: be ready to meet investors and lenders.
Content: financial structure and returns, independent technical review, investor and lender package, introductions to capital providers.
You get: a dossier ready for investors and lenders.
Ten dimensions I review
Investors and lenders never judge a project on technology alone. They look at ten dimensions, and a weakness in any one of them can stop a deal. In the first step I score your project on each, so you know where the gaps are and which to close first.
- Country and sovereign risk
- Feedstock
- Technology
- Execution
- Offtake
- Regulation and permitting
- Financial structure and returns
- ESG and sustainability compliance
- Cost competitiveness
- Lifecycle emissions
Who it is for
Pre-FID project developers in Southeast Asia: SAF and e-SAF, advanced biofuels, green and e-methanol, green ammonia, biogas and biomethane.
What I do and do not do
I coordinate the work and the specialists, and I introduce your project to capital providers.
I am not a lender, an investment fund or a law firm. I do not guarantee funding or FID, and each client remains solely responsible for its decisions.
Questions
Is this the same as project finance?
No. Bankability comes first: it is the work that makes a project ready to be put in front of investors and lenders. Project finance then becomes a real conversation. I work on both, in that order.
When should I start?
As early as you can, ideally well before you approach investors or lenders. The earlier the gaps are visible, the cheaper they are to close.
Can I do only the first step?
Yes. Many projects start with the assessment of the gaps and decide afterwards which of the next steps they need.
Do you guarantee that my project will be financed?
No. I make your project ready and I introduce it to capital providers. Any financing decision is taken by the investor or lender, and no outcome is guaranteed.
Not sure your project is ready?
Start with a 30-minute call.