Shareholder value has always been and will continue to be linked to the value we bring to the customers and communities we serve.
HEI (NYSE: HE) is one of the largest public companies in Hawaii and provides essential energy and financial services to the communities of our island state through its subsidiaries, Hawaiian Electric Company, Maui Electric Company and Hawaii Electric Light Company, and American Savings Bank. Our unique combination of businesses provides HEI with an efficient capital structure and the resources to invest in the strategic growth of our companies while continuing our history of uninterrupted dividends to shareholders since 1901.In the five years through 2015, our companies invested over $1.4 billion in local infrastructure and provided billions more in financing to bank customers. Our investments, in turn, promote economic growth and diversity in Hawaii through job creation, growth of the clean energy sector, support of local businesses, and the prosperity of local families. Also during these five years, HEI has made $1.5 billion of tax payments to the state of Hawaii that help fund the needs of our local communities.
It is the confidence of our shareholders that allows us to continue to invest in the future of our companies and communities. Being good stewards of investor capital is foundational to our business.
Greater energy independence. A vibrant and sustainable local economy. Preserving the Hawaii we cherish.
For more than 100 years, the Hawaiian Electric Companies have provided the energy that has fueled our islands' development from a Hawaiian kingdom to a modern state. Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric, and Hawaii Electric Light serve 95 percent of Hawaii's people. With that great privilege comes great responsibility.
We have a shared kuleana to serve our customers, care for our communities, and lead the way to a clean energy future for our islands. This is why we are so focused on helping Hawaii achieve the most ambitious clean energy goals in the nation.
Today, we are providing cleaner, smarter and more reliable service for our customers. And we are committed to continuing our progress to meet our ambitious goals. In the end, we know the true measure of our success lies in the energy future we leave for generations to come.