Conestoga Energy acquires SAFFiRE Renewables from Southwest Airlines

In Kansas, Conestoga Energy the acquisition of SAFFiRE Renewables, LLC from Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures LLC. The acquisition includes all intellectual property, certain related technologies, the proposed pilot production facility, as well as key leadership team members, enabling Conestoga to further capitalize on the growing demand for reliable renewable fuels, including but not limited to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

With this acquisition, Conestoga will leverage SAFFiRE’s exclusive license to Deacetylation and Mechanical Refining (DMR) pretreatment technology developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) to convert corn stover, a widely available agricultural by-product in the U.S., into ethanol with a carbon intensity (CI) score less than negative 100. SAFFiRE’s pilot production facility will be co-located at Conestoga’s Arkalon Energy plant in Liberal, Kansas, and is expected to be operational in 2026. Conestoga will advance plans for commercial-scale production facilities based on efficiencies gained at the pilot facility.