Infinium’s Project Atlas named winner of SABA’s next-generation SAF procurement

Infinium and the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance announced April 8 that Infinium’s Project Atlas has been selected to supply sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) certificates under SABA’s next-generation SAF procurement—a landmark effort designed to accelerate deployment of high-integrity, next-generation fuel pathways.

Infinium’s Project Atlas was awarded the offtake contract under SABA’s next-generation SAF procurement launched in May 2025, competing against more than a dozen other advanced biofuels and eSAF projects.

Project Atlas is an Infinium Energy eSAF development project, with planned capacity of approximately 100,000 metric tons per year targeting 95 percent carbon-intensity reduction compared to fossil jet fuel.

It builds on two prior Infinium projects, Project Pathfinder in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Project Roadrunner in Pecos, Texas, which have advanced the company’s commercial deployment of eFuels.

Infinium’s selection follows a comprehensive, multistage review and due-diligence process conducted by SABA on behalf of its corporate members.

This procurement aggregates corporate demand for SAF to address business-travel and air-freight emissions and converts it into long-term, bankable supply agreements that support project finance and enable scale.

Infinium submitted its proposal jointly with American Airlines, which will serve as the end-use airline and oversee fuel logistics.

The selection process evaluated SAF providers against rigorous technical, environmental, financial and operational criteria, including lifecycle-emissions reductions, sustainability safeguards, project feasibility and long-term scalability.

“We believe voluntary corporate demand can be a catalytic spark to help new SAF production facilities get off the ground,” said Kim Carnahan, CEO of the Center for Green Market Activation and head of SABA secretariat. “Infinium’s selection as the winner of our next-gen procurement is an important milestone in proving this out. We look forward to sharing more details on this innovative deal as commercial agreements between the corporate buyers and Infinium are finalized later this year.”

Aside from supplying SABA’s voluntary corporate buyers, Atlas will also produce EU-compliant renewable fuels of nonbiological origin (RFNBO) eSAF, positioning the project to serve growing demand in the European SAF market.

Under the ReFuelEU aviation regulation, a blending mandate for SAF began in 2025 at 2 percent of total jet fuel supplied, increasing to 20 percent by 2035.

A dedicated submandate for synthetic eSAF will take effect in 2030 and will scale progressively through the decade, further supporting demand for RFNBO-compliant fuels.

Through its Infinium Energy™ platform, Infinium produces ultra-low carbon eSAF using waste CO2 and renewable energy, converting captured carbon into drop-in aviation fuel compatible with existing aircraft and infrastructure.

The company’s commercial-scale projects are designed to deliver meaningful lifecycle greenhouse-gas reductions while supporting the buildout of new, scalable fuel supply.

“Being selected for this SABA offtake agreement is pivotal for Project Atlas,” said Robert Schuetzle, CEO of Infinium. “The agreement reflects growing commercial demand for next-generation power-to-liquid fuels and supports the continued development of new domestic production capacity.”

SABA’s procurement approach utilizes a book-and-claim model, through which corporate customers will be buying SAF certificates (SAFc) that allow them to invest in SAF and capture the environmental benefits, even if the fuel does not flow directly into the planes their employees or freight fly on.

The companies’ purchase allows them to reflect lower aviation emissions on their climate disclosures, while the physical SAF flows to an aircraft operator.

American Airlines will take delivery of the eSAF, manage logistics and serve as the physical user of the fuel—enabling the book-and-claim allocation of scope 3 emissions reductions to SABA’s members.

Its participation underscores continued leadership in the SAF market and represents its second eSAF agreement with Infinium.

“American was an early anchor offtaker for the Roadrunner project, and we were excited to participate in the Atlas project as well,” said Jill Blickstein, American’s vice president of sustainability. “Our work with Infinium lets us help accelerate the development of SAF technologies that have the potential to reach commercial scale at lower prices.”

SABA’s next-generation SAF procurement was designed to leverage corporate demand for SAF certificates to drive new production of highly scalable SAF, with a specific goal of supporting a new plant in reaching final-investment decision (FID).

SABA’s participating corporate buyers are expected to enter into long-term, binding and financeable offtake agreements with Infinium to help accelerate commercial deployment, with initial production expected by 2029.

This builds on SABA’s established track record of mobilizing corporate demand.

Previous scope 3 SAF certificate buyers through SABA include leading global companies in technology, entertainment, finance, consulting and pharmaceuticals, reflecting broad cross-sector appetite for high-integrity, next-generation SAF.

Infinium’s selection underscores the growing role of power-to-liquid eSAF pathways in meeting aviation’s climate goals while adding significant momentum toward securing the critical mass of financing needed to move the project forward.