Visby comes alive in June, with Sweden’s annual convergence of politics, industry, media, and civil society: Almedalen. Held under bright Nordic skies, Almedalen 2025 was a wonderful example of a living, breathing, democracy in motion. This year, more than ever, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) was on the agenda.
Amy Malaki, Head of Policy and Sustainability, represented SkyNRG alongside Tom Berg, Director of Policy and Sustainability EU. With a packed agenda of roundtables, 1:1 meetings, and, of course, our Project SkyKraft seminar on biogenic CO₂, Almedalen offered a rare opportunity to align political will, industrial vision, and public interest.
Our aim: To ensure SAF is on Sweden’s policy radar
SkyNRG came to Almedalen with a dual mission:
- As a company, to reinforce our position as a SAF expert and a trusted partner in the Nordic green transition.
- As a joint venture partner to Swedish utility company, Skellefteå Kraft, to highlight our joint e-SAF production project SkyKraft
We enjoyed our talks with policymakers, municipalities, and industry players, helping to elevate SAF as a key pillar in Sweden’s climate, energy, and industrial future.
The SkyKraft Seminar: A market for biogenic CO₂
A standout moment was the SkyKraft seminar on June 24, which we held in collaboration with Skellefteå Kraft. We brought together government leaders, industry experts, and researchers to unpack a critical piece of the e-SAF puzzle: access to biogenic carbon dioxide.
With Sweden’s abundant forestry, district heating networks, and renewable electricity, the country is uniquely positioned to lead on e-SAF. But without a mature market for biogenic CO₂, captured from biomass and industrial sources, scaling production remains a challenge.
Along with panelists including Helena Dyrssen (State Secretary, Ministry of Climate and Environment), Viveka Beckeman (Swedish Forest Industries Federation), Johan Ahlström, researcher at RISE, and Joachim Nordin (CEO, Skellefteå Kraft), we explored how policy frameworks, Carbon Capture and Use (CCU) regulations, and infrastructure investment can unlock this untapped potential.
Beyond the public panels
Beyond the public panels, we co-hosted a high-level roundtable dinner, bringing together voices across the SAF value chain, from producers to policymakers. The evening’s goal was clear: to create a unified vision for SAF in Sweden.
We tackled issues including:
- Project dependency impacting financing decisions
- Market risk leading to slow pace of offtakes
- Minimal government level recognition of the strategic opportunity SAF offers
But we also identified shared solutions:
- Support for a market intermediary on e-SAF
- Stronger collaboration across the feedstock and producer value chain
- Sovereign guarantees for CO2 offtake
- Streamlined permitting processes
What emerged was a shared conviction that SAF isn’t just an environmental solution; it’s a national industrial opportunity:
- To strengthen Sweden’s climate leadership by advancing cost-competitive e-SAF production based on strong renewable energy availability and access to biogenic CO₂.
- To improve Sweden’s geopolitical position by becoming more energy autonomous on liquid fuel.
- To support credible progress towards Sweden’s national climate targets, including the ambition of fossil-free domestic aviation.
- To capitalize on the country’s ability to become a European exporter of e-SAF, positioning Sweden as a leader.
Industry-wide engagement
We spent time tuning into key discussions like the St1-hosted seminar on increasing Sweden’s energy independence through domestic SAF production. It underscored how energy security, defense, and sustainability are increasingly intertwined, a theme which echoed across multiple conversations during the week.
Speakers from Saab, Swedavia, and the Swedish Parliament drove home the urgency of building local capacity; not just to meet EU mandates, but to shape Sweden’s sovereign climate future.
Face to face conversations
Between public panels and café meetings, we engaged directly with local leaders, MPs, investors, and researchers. These personal conversations helped anchor Project SkyKraft in the broader Swedish industrial story, one that’s about jobs, innovation, and energy independence.
We’re continuing to lock in follow-ups and deepen these relationships in the weeks ahead.
Final reflections: Why Almedalen matters
There’s something powerful about watching political debates unfold next to a medieval cathedral and hearing energy CEOs and climate activists swap ideas over coffee.
For SkyNRG, it was a reminder that the future of aviation fuel is not just about technology. It’s about people, places, and policies. Sweden can lead Europe in SAF, but only if we tell a shared story, and tell it well.
As we look ahead to scaling Project SkyKraft, we’ll carry the spirit of Almedalen with us: open, collaborative, and grounded in bold, systems-level thinking.
If you’re interested in learning more about Project SkyKraft or our SAF work in the Nordics, don’t hesitate to reach out to Amy Malaki and Tom Berg.
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