Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning

Why We Invested

To create a seawater air conditioning district cooling system for downtown Honolulu

As one of the largest energy efficiency projects in Hawaii, Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning represented the potential for significant energy savings to move us closer to our goal of more renewable energy use for the state. It proposed an alternative to using imported fossil fuels to cool downtown Honolulu, thereby decreasing Oahu’s environmental footprint and the state’s oil dependency.

In June 2019, the project reached an environmental agreement with the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources on mitigating any potential impacts on marine life, with plans to use marine biologists and engineers to ensure minimal disruption. This agreement was the last of all major permits required for the project to proceed.

In December 2020, Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning announced the end of its development efforts after more than 15 years of steadily moving the energy efficiency project forward. Construction of the project had not yet started.

Our Partner

Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning was established to provide air conditioning to buildings in downtown Honolulu by pumping deep ocean water through a pipeline from more than four miles offshore to a cooling station in Kakaako.

How We Partnered

Financial capital to secure key environmental and construction agreements