Sugar Valley Energy LLC has chosen IHI Power Services Corp. (IPSC) to provide operations and asset management for its ethanol bio-refinery, bio-electric generation plant, and wastewater treatment facility which will be constructed on a 160-acre (65-ha) campus outside of Brawley. The 15-year operations and maintenance agreement is effective immediately, as the facility prepares to begin construction later this year. “We are pleased to add a world-class operator to our team as we develop the Sugar Valley Energy facility,” said Dave Rubenstein, president and CEO of California Ethanol + Power (CE+P). “IPSC has vast experience as an owner, operator, and asset manager of new facilities, particularly ones with sustainable energy components.”
With headquarters in Aliso Viejo, California, IPSC currently operates more than 40 projects having more than 14,500 MW of generation. Since the 1980s, IPSC’s senior team has reviewed and operated numerous green technology facilities including solar, wind, pumped storage, energy storage, biomass, and others. “As operators, we pride ourselves on our positive track record of minimizing operational risks and maximizing asset value while maintaining a safe work environment that is environmentally compliant,” said Steve Gross, president and CEO of IPSC. “We specialize in ensuring smooth startups for newly built plants, and look forward to coordinating local recruitment, training, and hiring plans as construction gets underway.”
The completed Sugar Valley Energy campus will support an estimated 200 new jobs onsite and in the Imperial County community, as well as hundreds of agriculture-related jobs associated with cultivating sugarcane. Construction of the facility alone is estimated to support more than 9000 jobs in various trades. The project represents a US$1 billion investment in the Imperial Valley region.
