Allianz Global Investors Acquires Lotus Solar Farm–a 67 MWp Solar Farm in Madera County, California from 8minute: Acquisition is The First U.S. Solar Project Purchased by the U.S. Infrastructure Equity Team at Allianz Global Investors
LOS ANGELES: 8minute Solar Energy (“8minute”), the largest independent solar and storage developer in the U.S., today announced that it has sold the equity interests of the 67 megawatt-dc Lotus Solar Farm in Madera County, California to Allianz Global Investors (“AllianzGI”), one of the world’s leading active asset managers. The acquisition is the first U.S. solar project purchased by the U.S. Infrastructure Equity team at Allianz Global Investors and brings their 20 years and $163.9 Billion in sustainability-focused investing to the state and industry. 8minute has signed a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (“PPA”) with Southern California Edison (“SCE”), one of the nation’s leaders in renewable energy, for the more than 125,000,000 kWh produced annually when the project is complete– enough energy to power more than 12,000 Southern California households.
“California and Southern California Edison continue to lead the transition to 100% clean energy and that leadership is attracting investment from all across the world. We are proud to collaborate with Allianz Global Investors’ US Infrastructure Equity team on the acquisition of their first U.S. solar project. Their decades of expertise in the field of sustainability are a tremendous asset to our state and our industry,” said Tom Buttgenbach, President and CEO of 8minute Solar Energy. “In addition, the Lotus Solar Farm offers a perfect example of how solar provides landowners the opportunity to earn reliable revenue while repurposing water constrained, low-productivity agricultural land.”
“As an experienced investor in the global renewable infrastructure sector, we’re excited by the current transformation of the U.S. generation fleet towards renewable sources of power,” said Armin Sandhoevel, Chief Investment Officer Infrastructure Equity at Allianz Global Investors. “The acquisition of the Lotus Solar Farm directly supports our mission to actively invest in the future of the US energy landscape by owning high-quality renewable power projects that promote a positive environmental impact. We look forward to a continued strong partnership with 8minute built upon efficient execution and aligned values.”
The Lotus Solar Farm is being constructed on 375 acres of low-productivity former grazing land. The solar farm will produce enough energy for more than 12,000 local homes and businesses once complete and will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 48,000 metric tons each year. The project’s development and construction are also expected to create 300 peak union jobs in Madera County during construction. CIT and NORD LB are providing a construction loan, letter of credit and term loan facility for the project.
Construction began in August 2019 and will be completed in May 2020. Signal Energy is providing the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) services for Lotus. Key suppliers will include NEXTracker with its NX Horizon™ smart solar tracker and TMEIC with 14 of their Ninja 4200 central inverters.
About 8minute Solar Energy
8minute Solar Energy (“8minute”) is the largest privately-held developer of solar PV and storage projects in the United States. Founded a decade ago by President and CEO Tom Buttgenbach, 8minute has over 15 GW of solar and storage under development in California, the Southwest, Texas, and the Southeast, with more than 1.5 GW of solar power plants now in operation. The company has also developed the largest solar plant in the nation, the 800 MW Mount Signal solar farm in California. 8minute has one of the best development teams in the industry with a track record of delivering above-market profitability and strong financial returns on utility-scale solar and storage projects. For more information, please visit www.8minute.com.
About Allianz Global Investors
Allianz Global Investors is a leading active asset manager with over 790 investment professionals in 25 offices worldwide and managing $619 billion in assets for individuals, families and institutions.
Active is the most important word in our vocabulary. Active is how we create and share value with clients. We believe in solving, not selling, and in adding value beyond pure economic gain. We invest for the long term, employing our innovative investment expertise and global resources. Our goal is to ensure a superior experience for our clients, wherever they are based and whatever their investment needs.
Active is: Allianz Global Investors
Data as of June 30, 2019
Allianz Global Investors U.S. LLC (“AllianzGI US”) is an SEC registered investment adviser that provides investment management and advisory services primarily to separate accounts of institutional clients and registered and unregistered investment funds. AllianzGI US manages client portfolios (either directly or through model delivery and wrap fee programs) applying traditional and systematic processes across a variety of investment strategies. AllianzGI US may also provide consulting and research services in connection with asset allocation and portfolio structure analytics. As these materials are not tailored to the needs of any specific client or category of clients, AllianzGI is not acting as a fiduciary or impartial adviser to any recipient of these materials. AllianzGI has an interest in selling its products and services for a fee and other compensation.
The information herein is provided for illustrative purposes only and references to securities and identified transactions are not intended to be, and should not be interpreted as an offer, solicitation or recommendation to purchase or sell any financial instrument, an indication that the purchase of such securities or instruments was or will be profitable, or representative of the composition or performance of your account. The transactions identified do not represent all securities purchased, sold or recommended for client accounts. There is no guarantee that a similar transaction will be available in the future or for your account.
Not all strategies are currently available in all markets. Not all AllianzGI entities operate in all markets. The investments described above are solely for illustrative purposes and do not represent a full list of investments entered into by the AllianzGI Infrastructure Equity Team (“The Team”). The Team may enter into any investments at any time whose profiles may differ. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
