Qantas backs $2m raise for Brisbane waste-to-jet-fuel startup
Wagner Sustainable Fuels closed $2 million from Qantas and Airbus through the Climate Tech Partners aviation fund, topped up with $3.15 million in grants from ARENA. The Brisbane-based venture converts household waste into sustainable aviation fuel.
The funding will upgrade an eight-year-old pilot plant near Brisbane to commercial scale and pilot the integration of Wagner's Moving Injection Horizontal Gasification technology with methanol synthesis. ARENA's funding also covers a feasibility study for a Queensland facility producing SAF from waste.
Wagner is part of the Toowoomba-based Wagner infrastructure group and has backing from Boeing, which invested in engineering studies for a Port of Brisbane SAF refinery in April 2024. The broader Toowoomba project is a $2.5 billion capital build targeting 104 million litres of neat SAF and 12 million litres of renewable diesel per year in stage one.
Commercial model: offtake, not SaaS
Wagner's go-to-market centres on long-term offtake agreements with airlines and airport fuel suppliers rather than traditional B2B sales. The venture operates with a lean core team in Brisbane and Toowoomba, supplemented by engineering partners and technology licensors LanzaJet and LanzaTech.
Public sales org details are not disclosed. The commercial leadership sits with Wagner infrastructure executives and project development teams, working directly with airline procurement and fuel distributors.
Market position
Wagner competes in emerging Australian SAF production against players like Gevo, which has partnered with Virgin Australia on SAF trials through Brisbane Airport. Wagner differentiates on large-scale domestic production using municipal waste feedstock and tight alignment with major airline customers.
The company is also pursuing a capital-light global licensing model. CEO Greg Perkins said recent events highlighted fuel import vulnerability: "Wildfire's technology converts abundant negative value wastes into low cost sustainable fuels and chemicals, enabling local production to meet local demand."
Worth noting: aviation SAF mandates are coming into effect now. Wagner is positioning for sovereign fuel supply as airlines face compliance requirements.