People on the Move: Li-Cycle Holdings, Heliogen, 8Minute Solar, and more

Li-Cycle Holdings named Nahla Azmy to the role of SVP investor relations and financial communications. She will lead all investor relations activities and act in a strategic advisory capacity to the company’s executive leadership team. Prior to joining Li-Cycle, Azmy served as VP of investor relations and financial communications for Ecovyst. Earlier, she established and led investor relations programs for Versum Materials, Alcoa, Rockwood Holdings, and NRG Energy. Before joining NRG, she was an equity analyst for eight years with a utilities and power research team.

The Solar Energy Industries Association named Jeremiah Miller as its new director of storage markets and policy. Miller joins SEIA from the DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office where he oversaw $60 million in research and development grants while serving as a technology manager for the systems integration team. Prior to this role, he was a senior power systems smart grid analyst for Smarter Grid Solutions.

Heliogen said that David Crane and Paddy Padmanathan have been nominated to join its Board of Directors upon closing of the company’s business combination with Athena Technology Acquisition Corp. Crane has been the CEO at Climate Real Impact Solutions, a family of climate/sustainability-focused special purpose acquisition corporations, since August 2020. Earlier, he was CEO of NRG from 2003 to 2015. Padmanathan is president and CEO of ACWA Power where he spearheaded its expansion from a startup in 2006 to a leading private developer, owner, and operator of power generation and desalinated water and green hydrogen production plants. He earlier was a VP and corporate officer at Black and Veatch, where he was responsible for developing privately financed power, water and wastewater projects in over a dozen countries.

Investment management firm Twain Financial Partners named Michael Park as director of renewable energy business development. In his previous capacity at Live Oak Bank, Park served as a VP of energy & infrastructure, financing large-scale solar projects for utility scale, community solar, and distributed generation solar. Earlier he served as a VP for both a water infrastructure developer, Greenprint Partners, and for an energy efficiency financing fintech firm, Noesis Energy.

Public relations firm Antenna Group launched Antenna Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., and named Andy Beck to lead the group as EVP. Beck has more than 25 years’ experience leading public affairs campaigns in executive-level positions at DOE, DOT, and EPA, as well as a number of consultancies.

8minute Solar Energy named Rahul Mathur as its CFO. Mathur has held senior leadership positions for public and private semiconductor and software technology companies, including Rambus, Cypress Semiconductor, NetSuite and KLA. Mathur holds a BA in applied mathematics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Sponsored: Project Director, Los Angeles, California

As Project Director for Energy Storage you will be responsible for overseeing project direction during Permitting and interconnection agreements and through the construction phase. You will be the on-site liaison between the EPC and Owner to ensure the project is on budget on schedule while satisfying all contractual obligations. You will be an impartial owners representative with a focus on driving the long term outcomes of the project and reporting to senior management.

Responsibilities:

• Report to equity members regarding the development of the project while providing overall leadership and development to achieve financial close by Q4 2022.
• Complete AFC (Application for Certification) and work with local regulators and municipalities.
• Advance the interconnection agreement with CASIO
• Responsible for FEED (front-end engineering design), detailed engineering k in order to launch the contractor selection process
• Develop contractor strategy, underground works, transmission and interconnection works while overseeing the procurement of EPC contractor.
• Negotiation PLA, Cost estimation, and land control for securing easements to substation.
• Assist in the negotiations of the definitive Power Purchase Agreement with the offtakers
• Following Financial Close, oversee the project execution during the construction phase and transition to operating phase including oversight of the underground cavern development contract, construction contract for the energy conversion plant, and implement the project management tools to ensure on -time, on-budget delivery
• Manage a small team of key executives including the Finance/Commercial Director, Technical/Quality Director, Environmental Manager, and Safety Manager
• Ensure systems and structures are in place for the effective management of the organization
• Identify, monitor and manage project risks (including stranded equity risks) and report on mitigation strategies/impacts
• During construction phase, manage Change Orders in collaboration with the Technical Director
• Manage any claims and/or construction progress issues; coordinate discussions regarding same with the offtaker, contractor and operator as required
• Manage transition to operations phase, oversee commissioning activities, including managing operations readiness and start-up of Operator, punch list, defect rectification, and warranties
• Develop the O&M Strategy in collaboration with the Executive committee
• Ensure project is delivered within the capex budget
• Work with the Performance Guarantee providers to bring the best coverage for the project
• Work with the project development team and the Finance Director to obtain the best financing solution for the project (DOE support, ITC, WAPA, EDC program etc)
• Supervise the Finance Director in maintaining an effective relationship with the Lenders and the Lender’s Technical Advisor
• Monitor and manage financial performance and appropriate resource allocation
• Where relevant, mange the process of obtaining Lender consent in collaboration with the ExCom
• Ensure performance and compliance with Project contractual obligations
• Work closely with the Technical / Quality Directors to manage quality surveillance system
• Ensure compliance with all Project and Finance Documents, legislative and regulatory requirements
• Manage Change Orders in collaboration with the Technical Director
• Ensure any non-compliance by any sub-contracting party is resolved and rectified accordingly, and provide relevant notices as required
• Deliver monthly written and oral reports to the executive team
• Ensure reports and notices are being delivered to the PPA offtakers
• Implement all reporting procedures to remain in full compliance with project documents (financing, permitting, ESA etc)
• Build and maintain relationships with project stakeholders, including Offtakers, Contractors, Shareholders, Operator, the local stakeholders and the population at large.
• Manage public relations issues in close coordination with the Offtakers and Contractor

Requirements:

• Engineering degree with a mechanical, mining, or process specialization with a minimum 15 years demonstrated experience delivering/managing large scale energy/ renewable energy /energy storage or natural gas power plant development and construction projects
• Prior experience managing large capital projects is critical
• Experience and knowledge of the California energy market with a strong understanding of the CAISO, CPUC and CEC authorizations processes would be a strong attribute
• Knowledge of energy storage is a strong attribute
• Experience managing PPA negotiations highly valuable
• Strong regional relationships, including with local, regional, and state public officials (California).

More information is available here.

Send your job change announcement to david.wagman@pv-magazine.com.