Leading our Energy Future

Our history dates to the early 2000s, when the utility-scale wind power business was at a nascent stage in the U.S. From 2003 to 2009, a unit of Babcock & Brown LP, an Australian investment firm, developed many of the projects that are now part of the LRE fleet, including the five-phase 583 MW Sweetwater Wind complex. At its 2007 commercialization, it was among the largest wind farms in the world.

In 2009, the global wind power assets of Babcock & Brown, including the U.S. asset base, were spun off and the newly independent business was named Infigen Energy. Likewise based in Australia, Infigen held renewable energy assets in Australia, Europe, and North America. During these years, in addition to operating the established U.S. wind fleet, the company commenced its initial solar development and construction efforts, which culminated in a successful sale of the 1,400 MW solar business in 2015.

In 2016, Infigen sold the U.S. business (then comprised of 18 wind farms and other renewable energy development assets) to ArcLight Capital Partners. In 2016, Power Finance & Risk recognized the transaction as the North America Renewables Project Finance Deal of the Year. Following the transaction, our company was rebranded as Leeward Renewable Energy, or LRE. During this period, we expanded our fleet by acquiring additional interests in wind farms, commencing work on repowering our existing assets, and developing new renewable energy assets.

In 2018, LRE was acquired by OMERS Infrastructure Management, Inc., the infrastructure investment arm of OMERS, one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans. Under OMERS’s ownership, we have continued our expansion by successfully repowering legacy assets, developing and constructing projects from our development portfolio, and embarking on our current growth program that includes over 5,000 MW of wind, solar, and energy storage.

LRE acquired a utility-scale solar project platform of approximately 10 GW from First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR). The project development platform included 773 MWac of projects that are expected to commence construction in the next two years, as well as the 30 MWac Barilla Solar Project, which is operational. The acquisition cemented our position as one of the nation’s leading renewable energy companies and significantly expanded our solar development portfolio and geographic footprint across the U.S.