Conestoga Energy has purchased SAFFiRE Renewables from Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures LLC. The deal includes all intellectual property, related technologies, a planned pilot production facility, and members of SAFFiRE’s leadership team. Financial details were not shared.
The acquisition gives Conestoga access to SAFFiRE’s exclusive license for a pretreatment technology developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab. The process converts corn stover, a common agricultural by-product in the U.S., into ethanol with an extremely low carbon footprint.
The pilot plant will be built alongside Conestoga’s Arkalon Energy facility in Liberal, Kansas, and is expected to start operations in 2026. The project will help the company move forward with larger-scale commercial production facilities based on lessons learned during the pilot phase.
SAFFiRE’s production process uses a range of agricultural feedstocks to make low-carbon intermediates for several end products, including ethanol for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The method works at low temperatures and normal pressure, uses standard industry equipment, and delivers strong results with fewer enzyme requirements. It also avoids many of the challenges faced by older cellulosic biofuel production methods.
“This move puts us in a strong position to help meet the aviation industry’s urgent need for sustainable fuel while opening new opportunities for American farmers,” said Tom Willis, CEO of Conestoga Energy.
Key members of SAFFiRE’s team will also join Conestoga, including Chief Technology Officer Marykate O’Brien and Director of Engineering Nitin Kolhapure.
The announcement comes shortly after Conestoga completed drilling its first Class VI well near its Bonanza BioEnergy ethanol plant in Garden City, Kansas. The well is part of the company’s long-term plan to capture and permanently store carbon dioxide emissions from ethanol production.
