Offtake Agreements
Committed buyers for low-carbon fuel projects
I introduce SAF, green methanol and hydrogen producers in Southeast Asia to airlines, shipping companies, industrial buyers and fuel traders, so offtake conversations start early and with the right counterparts.
The problem
Lenders will not finance a fuel plant on a promise. They want long-term offtake with creditworthy buyers, and most developers hold only letters of intent. Buyers, for their part, look for reliable supply and credible producers.
Securing offtake is often the make-or-break step for project finance, and it takes time.
In my conversations with SAF developers in Southeast Asia, the same picture comes back. Two or three letters of intent, an enthusiastic buyer, and a model that assumes every litre is sold at a premium. Nobody has yet read the paper the way a lender will.
That is the gap I close. I connect developers with someone who has negotiated long-term SAF supply, so the offtake is tested before the lenders see it.
How I help
I start with the buyers. I map and approach the ones that match your fuel, your volumes and your timeline, and I talk to them directly to test what they want and where they push back.
- I identify the airlines, shipping companies, industrial buyers and traders that fit your product and your geography.
- I open the conversations and bring back what I hear on volumes, tenor, price and contract structure.
- When letters of intent turn into term sheets, MOUs and heads of agreement, I bring in the offtake lead I work with to review the contract terms and risk allocation.
Typical outcome. Qualified buyers and the first steps toward MOUs and heads of agreement, with offtake logic you can show to lenders.
Many projects need both sides solved: see Feedstock Supply.
Book and claim for SAF
For SAF projects, offtake does not always mean a physical delivery to one airport. Book and claim separates the environmental attribute of the fuel from the physical fuel, so that a buyer anywhere can claim the emissions reduction of fuel produced elsewhere. I work with a partner that operates a SAF certificates marketplace: a working, registry-agnostic platform for low-carbon fuel environmental attributes. It now covers both aviation and maritime, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel certificates (SAFc) have already been transacted, under proper commercial agreements, between key stakeholders in Japan and Singapore, and beyond. For a project, this can open an additional route to secure offtake. Buyers will also ask whether the fuel qualifies, which depends on its carbon intensity and EU compliance. See also the Roadmap to Bankability.
What a lender reads in an offtake
I do not ask whether you have a buyer. I read the contract the way a lender will.
- Volumes. Is there a firm minimum, ideally take-or-pay? Does the ramp-up match your plant’s real start-up, not the brochure?
- Price. Does the indexation give lenders visibility and leave you some resilience? Heavy exposure to the spot market is a red flag for me.
- Tenor. Is it long enough to carry the debt? Typically seven to fifteen years depending on technology and loan profile.
- Exit and force majeure. Do the clauses fit a young SAF market and still pass a bank? Exit rights that favour only the buyer break deals.
- Delivery. How does the fuel leave the plant, where is it blended with Jet A-1, which terminal takes it, and does it meet ASTM D7566? If the contract promises what the logistics cannot deliver, it is worth nothing.
Read the full guide: How to secure SAF offtake agreements.
How the work runs
I do not do this alone. I work with an independent specialist who has spent a decade in the jet fuel and SAF markets, including on some of the first SAF supply contracts with airlines. Someone who has sat across the table from the buyers.
- I read what you have. Letters of intent, draft contracts, revenue assumptions. You get a short memo listing the gaps a lender would see, ready for your due diligence.
- I help you decide where each volume goes. Firm long-term contracts carry the debt. Flexible volumes go to spot sales and certificates.
- I stay in the negotiation with you. Term sheets and heads of terms for long-term offtake, with the offtake lead negotiating the commercial side next to you. Your lawyers write the legal text.
- I prepare the lender pack. Notes that explain why the contract is bankable, and support when banks and funds ask about price, demand and volumes.
A one-day deep dive on your offtake is a good first step. It shows what blocks FID and the debt.
Who I connect you with
Airlines and aviation buyers
Airlines, fuel suppliers and aviation groups looking for SAF volumes to meet their decarbonisation commitments.
Shipping and industrial offtakers
Shipping companies and industrial users seeking green methanol, ammonia and other low-carbon fuels.
Fuel buyers and traders
Fuel traders and distributors that aggregate volumes and bring supply to end customers.
Need a buyer at the table?
Tell me about your project and your volumes. I will tell you which buyers to approach first.