Latham & Watkins Advises Alder Fuels in Aviation Biofuels Venture with United and Honeywell

United and Honeywell have announced a joint multimillion-dollar investment in Alder Fuels – a cleantech company that is pioneering first-of-its-kind technologies for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at scale by converting abundant biomass, such as forest and crop waste, into sustainable low-carbon, drop-in replacement crude oil that can be used to produce aviation fuel. When used together across the fuel lifecycle, the Alder technologies, coupled with Honeywell’s Ecofining™ process, could have the ability to produce a carbon-negative fuel at spec with today’s jet fuel. The goal of the technologies is to produce fuel that is a 100% drop-in replacement for petroleum jet fuel. As part of the investment, United will enter into the largest publicly announced SAF agreement in aviation history.

Latham & Watkins LLP represents Alder Fuels in the transaction with a corporate deal team led by Houston partner Justin Stolte, Bay Area partner Jim Morrone, and New York partner Steven Betensky, with Bay Area associates Ajay Sundar and Ryan Wong and New York associate Sebastian Moss. Advice was also provided on commercial matters by Houston partner Jonathan Castelan, with Houston associates Sam Bentley, Morgan Moore, and Katie Walker; on environmental matters by Orange County counsel Joshua Bledsoe; on regulatory matters by Washington, D.C. counsel Kyle Jefcoat; on data and technology transactions matters by New York associates Dewey Kang and Victoria McGrath; and on tax matters by Bay Area partner Kirt Switzer.