May 12, 2021   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Lakeview Energy Closes a $50 Million Capital Partnership with Orion

Lakeview Energy, LLC. (“Lakeview”) announces the closing of a multi-draw, senior secured debt facility with Orion Energy Partners, L.P. (“Orion”) to fund process upgrades at its existing 50 million gallon per year ethanol plant in Coshocton, Ohio (the “Plant”). The capital investment will provide energy savings to Lakeview and support a long-term offtake agreement with an industry leading producer of hand sanitizer and other hygiene products. Under this strategic arrangement, Lakeview will supply the offtaker with United States Pharmacopeia (“USP”) grade ethyl alcohol for use in its various product lines.

Based in Chicago, Illinois, Lakeview is a private renewable energy company that owns a variety of operating biofuel production businesses in the Midwest US. Lakeview management has been operating ethanol and biofuel plants since 2003 and acquired the Plant in Coshocton in 2013. With the infusion of Orion’s flexible capital, Lakeview will restart the Plant and produce higher quality USP grade ethanol, as well as fuel grade ethanol and associated co-products. The Plant’s process upgrade project and the new USP-grade production line will be completed in mid-2022.

“Our partnership with Orion provides us with the ability to improve the efficiency of the Plant and support the supply of a higher-grade ethanol product to our new strategic offtake partner,” said Jim Galvin, Lakeview’s CEO. “We are excited to collaborate with Orion, an industry leader in sustainable infrastructure, and this partnership marks Orion’s confidence in our team, industry experience, and mission.”

“Lakeview has successfully proven its ability to capitalize on a growing market while reducing risk via product diversification, and we are extremely excited to start our capital partnership with the team,” said Chris Leary, Investment Partner at Orion. “We also recognize that society is still grappling with social and economic challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and we feel proud to be supporting a business that will bring benefit to the local community in the form of new jobs and positive public health attributes.”

Dorsey & Whitney LLP acted as legal counsel to Lakeview and Greenberg Traurig, LLP acted as legal counsel to Orion.

About Lakeview Energy

​Lakeview Energy is a renewable energy company based in Chicago with investments in biofuels, agribusiness, and wind energy. For more information, please visit www.lakeviewenergyllc.com.

About Orion Energy Partners

Orion Energy Partners is a private capital partner to lower/middle market energy infrastructure and related companies, primarily in North America, with assets under management in excess of $2.5 billion. Orion provides non-control and non-dilutive capital in flexible, senior secured loan structures as an alternative to equity investment and traditional loans. Orion’s target investment sectors include downstream, renewable fuels, sustainable and conventional power generation, energy efficiency, midstream, digital infrastructure, asset-heavy services, recycling, and other industrial or environmentally innovative energy opportunities. Orion manages long-term, committed capital across multiple investment funds, allowing it to forge transformational relationships across a diverse group of companies and to be patient and supportive as these organizations execute on their business plans. Orion aims to have more than 50% of its capital partnerships support a transition to sustainable, environmentally innovative energy businesses and practices.

Please visit www.orionenergypartners.com to learn more about our capital partnerships.