Pacific Current, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries, announced last week it has acquired the Port Allen Solar facility on Kauai from Alexander &Baldwin Inc.’s McBryde Sugar Company LLC for an undisclosed price.

The 6-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility, built in 2012, is located on 20 acres in Port Allen, and is expected to supply 2.3% of the Garden Isle’s energy. Pacific Current completed the acquisition with its own wholly owned subsidiary, Ka‘ie‘ie Waho Company LLC.

“Alexander &Baldwin is proud to have advanced renewable energy production on Kauai, working with Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) 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, in a news release. “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 Kauai with our Wainiha and Kalaheo hydroelectric plants.”

Pacific Current, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of HEI in 2017, describes itself as “not your typical for-profit capital investor.” The company says it invests in and operates assets statewide, and welcomes partnerships from around the globe in pursuit of better forms of energy, transportation, agriculture, water use and waste diversion.

The Port Allen acquisition is Pacific Current’s first on Kauai.

Pacific Current also has renewable energy projects on Hawaii island, Maui and Oahu. On Hawaii island, Pacific Current acquired the 60-megawatt Hamakua Energy Partners power plant in 2017. On Oahu, Pacific Current is a partner in the “net-zero” project aiming to reduce fossil fuel consumption at University of Hawaii community colleges, including Leeward Community College.

Pacific Current will assume the 20-year Power Purchase Agreement currently in place with KIUC, effective through at least 2032.

Port Allen Solar, one of nine active solar facilities on Kauai, generates 11,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year, enough to power nearly 900 homes and offset more than 18,000 imported barrels of oil to the island per year.

“Port Allen Solar aligns with our goal of supporting a more resilient and sustainable Hawaii,” said Scott Valentino, president of Pacific Current in the release. “Besides advancing Kauai’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.”

KIUC’s goal is to meet at least 70% of the island’s energy needs through renewable sources by 2030.