LIHU‘E — Pacific Current announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Ka‘ie‘ie Waho Company LLC, has acquired the Port Allen Solar facility on Kaua‘i from Alexander &Baldwin, Inc.’s McBryde Sugar Company LLC. Built in 2012, the 6-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility is located on 20 acres of land in Port Allen, providing clean, renewable solar energy for Kaua‘i residents and the surrounding community.
LIHU‘E — Pacific Current announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Ka‘ie‘ie Waho Company LLC, has acquired the Port Allen Solar facility on Kaua‘i from Alexander &Baldwin, Inc.’s McBryde Sugar Company LLC. Built in 2012, the 6-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility is located on 20 acres of land in Port Allen, providing clean, renewable solar energy for Kaua‘i residents and the surrounding community.
This is the first acquisition and project on Kaua‘i by Pacific Current, a local investor in sustainable infrastructure with renewable- energy projects on Hawai‘i Island, Maui and O‘ahu. “Port Allen Solar aligns with our goal of supporting a more resilient and sustainable Hawai‘i,” said Scott Valentino, president of Pacific Current. “Besides advancing Kaua‘i’s long-term renewable-energy objectives, adding Port Allen Solar to our portfolio of sustainable facilities allows us to ensure that an important energy resource remains locally owned and managed.”
“Alexander &Baldwin is proud to have advanced renewable-energy production on Kaua‘i, working with Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative to develop the Port Allen solar facility, which, upon its completion in 2012, was the largest solar photovoltaic generation facility in the state,” said Chris Benjamin, Alexander &Baldwin president and CEO. “We are confident that Pacific Current, a local company committed to sustainability, will be an excellent steward of this asset going forward. A&B continues to own significant renewable-energy facilities on Kaua‘i with our Wainiha and Kalaheo hydroelectric plants.”
Pacific Current will assume the 20-year purchase power agreement with KIUC, which will remain in effect at least until 2032. One of nine active solar facilities on the island, Port Allen Solar generates 11,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year, powering nearly 900 homes on Kaua‘i and offsetting more than 18,000 imported barrels of oil to the island per year.
In 2019, KIUC reported that 56.5% of Kaua‘i’s energy use came from renewable energy sources. Located in ‘Ele‘ele fronting “Glass Beach” and adjacent to KIUC’s Port Allen generation facility, Port Allen Solar will supply 2.3% of Kaua‘i’s energy, helping KIUC advance toward its goal of meeting at least 70% of the island’s energy needs through renewable sources by 2030.
KIUC should be building and owning our own alternate energy sources instead of purchasing from private vendors. If they can makes a profit why can’t our CO-OP be eliminating the middle man