Sempra Generation announced the acquisition of Auwahi Wind Energy, a company developing a 22 MW wind energy and battery storage project in Hawaii. The company was acquired from Shell WindEnergy, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell.

Construction of the Auwahi wind energy project could begin in 2011, with commercial operation beginning in 2012. The wind farm is to be located on the Ulapalakua Ranch in the southeaster region of Maui. The storage facility is capable of storing about 28 MWh of energy and can be used to regulate peak consumption hours, as well as smooth out the intermittent availability of wind derived electricity, providing grid stability for Maui Electric. Sempra is planning to expand the capacity of the storage facility to 72 Mwh.

Shell WindEnergy decided to sell its Hawaiian wind assets in order to concentrate more on developments in mainland US and Canada. Maui's plan is to reach "95% of electricity from renewable energy by 2020".