Our Company
Leeward Renewable Energy (LRE) is a high-growth renewable energy company that owns and operates a portfolio of 31 wind, solar and energy storage facilities across the United States, totaling over 3 gigawatts of generating capacity. We are actively developing new wind, solar, and energy storage projects in energy markets across the U.S., with about 30 GW spanning 130 sites, under construction. With the current development, we expect to commercialize over 1,000 MW of renewable energy projects in the next year.
LRE is a portfolio company of OMERS Infrastructure, a preeminent global infrastructure investor and investment arm of OMERS, one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans with C$127.4 billion in net assets (as at June 30, 2023).
As passionate renewable energy advocates, we take great pride in responsible development and the safe operation of our projects. We are focused on building sustainable solutions for clean, renewable energy, and we remain dedicated to empowering communities through energy independence, job creation, and lasting partnerships.
OUR Vision, MISSION & VALUES
Responsible Development
Responsible development is an ethos that runs deep at LRE. We develop, own, and operate renewable generation assets for the long-term, and we are committed to leaving a positive impact on the communities where we operate.
LRE condemns use of forced labor
LRE unequivocally condemns the use of forced labor and stands with the clean power industry in firm opposition to the use of forced labor within our supply chains. Our industry must work together to develop supply chain processes that ensure the protection of human rights and support fair labor practices while driving the clean energy transition.
Responsible development is one of LRE’s core values, and we are committed to partnering with manufacturers and suppliers that demonstrate leadership in investigating and preventing the use of forced labor in the manufacture of clean energy products. LRE’s values have driven our procurement decisions to date.
Looking forward, we support industry-driven implementation of supply chain due diligence and transparency. Our goal is to use our purchasing power as a force for good by partnering closely with other industry leaders, with our suppliers, and with our customers to transform the energy grid and eradicate forced labor practices that undermine human dignity.
Community partnership
We work hard to earn the trust and respect of the community, build lasting partnerships with local officials and property owners, and provide frequent and transparent communication through all phases of a project’s life. Besides direct economic investment and opportunity creation, we are also committed to genuine community engagement. This means being highly responsive to community feedback, hiring locally whenever possible, and always seeking opportunities to give back to local causes. Read more.
Sustainability
We believe in preserving the environment for the future by developing emissions-free electrical generation projects. Through technological innovation, operational optimization, and our collective passion for renewables, we strive to become a market leader in providing reliable access to clean energy – helping to reduce emissions and positively affecting our surroundings.
Our long-term approach to sustainability means we lead every aspect of a project’s life cycle: from identifying a location, planning the development, seeking government approval and studying the environmental impact, to managing its construction and overseeing the daily operation for 30+ years. Read more.
Safety
Safety is always a top priority at LRE—it starts at our corporate office and extends to every project location. All of our employees and contractors are required to complete extensive training programs to ensure more than compliance, but to instill a culture of safety. We manage our facilities with operational excellence, long-term ownership, and continued growth in mind, renewing our commitment to safe work on a daily basis.
At LRE, we value and track the safety performance of every person that steps foot on our sites, not just our employees. We do not view a day as successful unless every person leaves at the end of the day in the same or better condition that when he or she arrived. We routinely collect and analyze safety data and our employees prepare proactive safety reports that allow us to improve our work environment and address hazards before injuries occur.
LRE Safety Honor Roll
We are proud to recognize the following sites and the teams that work there. Their relentless pursuit of safety performance has allowed us to achieve our #1 priority of a safe work environment for everyone.
Sites currently achieving more than two years with no recordable injuries:
Green Financing
Access to financial reports
Leeward Renewable Energy Operations, LLC is required under the terms of its Green Bonds to provide to certain investors, broker-dealers, and securities analysts access to financial reports and quarterly conference calls. Please click below to request access.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact LRE Investor Relations at bond.holders@leewardenergy.com. Investors who have already been validated can click this link to access the financial statements.
Our Corporate Heritage
2003 – 2009
The Wind Rush
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 the time of its final commercialization in 2007, it was among the largest wind farms in the world.
2009 – 2015
Global Renewables Offshoot
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.
2016 – 2018
Rebranding the Fleet
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.
2018 – Present
Onward with OMERS
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.
Acquisition of First Solar’s U.S. Development Platform
In 2021, 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 a leading renewable energy company and significantly expanded our solar development portfolio and geographic footprint across the U.S.
