Sugar Valley Energy Taps Industry Veterans To Advance Financing

California Ethanol + Power LLC (CE+P) has appointed Poornima Sharma, president and founder of GreenBridge LLC, and Bruce Schechinger, an entrepreneur and executive with more than 40 years in the chemical industry, as strategic advisors for its Sugar Valley Energy project. The appointments come as the project advances its financing strategy to support commercialization and scaling.

Sugar Valley Energy is a planned 160-acre (64.75-ha) renewable fuel and energy campus near Brawley in Imperial County, California. The campus would combine a sugarcane-to-ethanol biorefinery, a bioelectric power island, and biogas and wastewater treatment facilities to produce low-carbon fuel-grade ethanol, renewable electricity, and pipeline-grade biogas from locally grown sugarcane.

CE+P plans to develop, build, own, and operate facilities that convert locally grown sugarcane into low-carbon ethanol for California’s transportation fuel market, using processes and equipment the company describes as commercially proven and financeable. It has also identified sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable hydrogen and ammonia, low-carbon chemicals, and drop-in fuel made from sugarcane tops and leaves as potential future products.

Sharma is a former vice president of operations for the Americas and Europe at Technip Energies, where she oversaw projects valued at up to US$350 million. She also led a technology-driven global business as managing director in Houston. Through GreenBridge, her cleantech consultancy, she advises entrepreneurs and investors through the commercialization phase.

At Sugar Valley Energy, Sharma will focus on investor engagement and capital-raising strategy, including the project’s risk mitigation plans, capital expenditure approach, and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) arrangements. She will also draw on her industry network to identify partnership opportunities.

“Poornima’s track record executing industrial projects and her credibility with her experience and expertise make her an invaluable partner as we engage with capital sources,” said Dave Rubenstein, president and chief executive officer of CE+P. “Her strategic input on investor narratives, risk mitigation, EPC [engineering, procurement, and construction] strategy, and industry relationships will be instrumental to our success.”

Schechinger acquired a Salt Lake City chemical company and grew it from a modest operation into an international enterprise of more than US$75 million, with operations spanning the UAE, Europe, Asia, Brazil, Canada, Iceland, India, and Africa. He previously served as chairman of the Alliance for Chemical Distribution and still owns and operates a chemical storage and distribution business in Idaho.

Schechinger’s advisory role covers growth initiatives, investor engagement, commercial development, and financing strategy. He also advises and invests in several other ventures, including Ventura Aerospace, and holds board and ownership positions at Ventura National Bank & Trust.

“Bruce’s experience in commercial development, capital formation, and fundraising strategy is exactly what we need at this critical juncture,” said Rubenstein. “We are confident he will help us identify and secure the capital necessary to help move the project forward.”