Turning Garbage to Jet Fuel: New Energy Risk Designs Innovative Performance Insurance Program for Fulcrum BioEnergy, as Company Raises $150M for Landmark Waste-to-Fuel Project

Menlo Park, Calif., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- New Energy Risk, a provider of customized insurance technology solutions for renewable energy projects, has provided Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc., a company that turns municipal solid waste (MSW) into renewable transportation fuels, with a technology performance insurance solution for Fulcrum's Sierra BioFuels Plant. The project, currently under construction outside of Reno, Nevada will have the capacity to process 175,000 tons of municipal solid waste into more than 10 million gallons of low-carbon synthetic crude oil on an annual basis, beginning in early 2020. The synthetic crude oil is then processed into transportation fuels. By turning municipal waste into fuel, Fulcrum is reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent, and providing a cleaner fuel alternative for airlines, the military, and other customers.

Fulcrum recently raised $150 million in bond financing for the Sierra BioFuels project, and turned to New Energy Risk, an affiliate of global insurance giant XL Catlin, to provide a performance insurance product to support the financing. The insurance complemented Fulcrum's patented technology, industry-leading development team and process, as well as feedstock and off-take strategies, in order to increase project attractiveness to investors. Fulcrum's existing investors include US Renewables Group, Rustic Canyon Partners, United Airlines, Waste Management, BP, and Cathay Pacific. 

New Energy Risk is a specialty insurance technology company that acts as an effective bridge between new technology innovators, insurers and lenders. The company used a proprietary techno-economic model that synthesizes scientific understanding, engineering analysis, as well as actuarial and financial expertise to assess the performance of Fulcrum's technology and potential output of the Sierra BioFuels Plant. After its extensive assessment of the MSW-to-fuels technology and process, New Energy Risk developed a custom solution, backed and provided by XL Catlin, to insure the performance of Fulcrum's plant. The insurance program provides a significant technology risk mitigant for Sierra BioFuels Plant bondholders who have invested in this revolutionary project.

"The New Energy Risk technology performance insurance solution further strengthened our business model for the Sierra BioFuels Plant, and was an important factor in financing this project," said Eric Pryor, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Fulcrum BioEnergy. "The New Energy Risk team worked closely with our engineering and technology teams to assess the technical aspects for our innovative project and were successful in creating an impactful and customized insurance product that provides significant risk mitigation for Fulcrum's bondholders."

"We're proud to have supported Fulcrum in their capital raise and are excited to see their leading-edge technology and process grow in both scope and impact – taking a true waste product and converting it into millions of gallons of clean transportation fuels, and creating hundreds of jobs in the process," said Tom Dickson, CEO of New Energy Risk. "Fulcrum is showing what is possible in the waste-to-fuel space, and doing it at unprecedented scale. We look forward to working with them on more projects in the years to come." 

About New Energy Risk

New Energy Risk is a provider of innovative data analytics and technology performance risk transfer solutions to the new and renewable energy industry worldwide, and pioneered the development of large scale technology performance insurance. It was founded in 2010 to provide complex risk assessment and serve as an effective bridge between clean-energy innovators and insurers, and is part of XL Innovate, an insurance technology venture firm. Since then, New Energy Risk has helped its customers gain over $1 billion in financing for renewable energy and new technology deployments. To learn more, please visit www.newenergyrisk.com.

About XL Catlin

XL Catlin is the global brand used by XL Group Ltd.'s  (NYSE:XL) insurance and reinsurance companies which provide property, casualty, professional and specialty products to industrial, commercial and professional firms, insurance companies and other enterprises throughout the world.  Clients look to XL Catlin for answers to their most complex risks and to help move their world forward. To learn more, visit xlcatlin.com.

About Fulcrum BioEnergy

Based in Pleasanton, California, Fulcrum is leading the development of a reliable and efficient process for transforming municipal solid waste – or household garbage – into transportation fuels, including jet fuel and diesel. The company's plants will provide customers with low-cost, low-carbon drop-in fuel that is competitively priced with traditional petroleum fuel. Fulcrum, a privately held company, has aligned itself with strategic feedstock, technology and fuel offtake partners to further strengthen and accelerate the company's innovative approach to commercially producing large volumes of renewable fuel from municipal solid waste. For more information, please visit www.fulcrum-bioenergy.com. 

SOURCE XL Catlin

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