Sustainable Aviation Fuels Projects to Gain New Support Through IRENA–ICAO Collaboration
Newsletter
The “Finvest@ETAF” portal will connect SAF and clean aviation energy projects with global financing partners to accelerate aviation decarbonisation
Montréal, Canada, September 22, 2025 – The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) launched ‘Finvest@ETAF’ to support Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and clean aviation energy projects globally. The portal, which is hosted on IRENA’s Energy Transition Accelerator Finanacing (ETAF) platform, was unveiled ahead of the 42nd ICAO Assembly, which kicks off in Montréal today.
While demand reduction and energy efficiency improvements will play a critical role to align the sector with IRENA’s 1.5 °C scenario, SAFs could account for 40–65% of the sector’s emission cuts by 2050, according to ICAO.
Speaking at the launch, IRENA Director General Francesco La Camera said: “Sustainable aviation fuels will shape the future of flight, but the sector has yet to take off at the scale needed. By leveraging IRENA’s financing network and ICAO’s technical expertise, ‘Finvest@ETAF’ will support SAF projects across their entire lifecycle, bringing visibility to bankable projects while helping promising ideas develop into fully fledged proposals ready to attract investment and move into deployment.”
“This launch marks a significant milestone in aviation’s net zero carbon emission journey with the establishment of our Finvest hub,” said ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar. “Our agreement with IRENA focuses on a partnership arrangement to facilitate financial resources through the ICAO Finvest@ETAF portal, for scaling up SAF and other cleaner energy solutions.” He added that “It is a first-of-its-kind gateway between project developers and financiers” and that “this matchmaking function, using ICAO's sustainability criteria, helps de-risk investments while ensuring environmental integrity.”
Finvest@ETAF will serve as a single entry point for project developers seeking investment, linking proposals with a global network of public and private financiers. Project submissions will undergo joint screening by IRENA and ICAO experts, combining technical due diligence with investment readiness assessments, before being presented to financing and de-risking partners under the ETAF Platform.
The launch of Finvest@ETAF also comes as countries prepare to raise climate ambition ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where sustainable fuels are expected to feature prominently on the agenda.
