Where is New Zealand's biggest planned battery energy storage system?

Image: Vector Energy Development approvals have been granted for New Zealand’s biggest planned battery energy storage system (BESS) to date. The 100MW battery storage project is in development by electricity generator and retailer Meridian Energy at Ruākākā on New Zealand’s North Island. The site is adjacent to Marsden Point, a former oil refinery.

When will New Zealand's energy storage project come online?

The energy storage project is expected to come online during the July-to-September period of 2026. Saft described the Huntly Power Station as “the single largest electricity generation site in New Zealand.” New Zealand welcomed its first utility-scale battery energy storage system earlier this year.

What is the NZ battery project?

But the national electricity system depends heavily on the fluctuating storage capacity of hydropower lakes, which makes the country prone to energy shortages during dry years. The NZ Battery Project aims to address this. One of the options being investigated is the Onslow pumped storage hydropower (PSH) scheme.

What is New Zealand's First Utility-scale battery energy storage system?

New Zealand welcomed its first utility-scale battery energy storage system earlier this year. The 35 MW/35 MWh Rotohiko battery facility commenced operation with electricity distribution company WEL Networks in April, after compleating testing and commissioning.

What is New Zealand's first megawatt-scale battery storage system?

The country’s first megawatt-scale battery storage system is thought to have been a 1MW/2.3MWh project completed in 2016 using the Tesla Powerpack, Tesla’s first iteration of an industrial and grid-scale BESS solution. However the first BESS to be connected to the high-voltage transmission grid in New Zealand came two years after that.

Could a 'NZ battery' be a power station?

Energy Minister Megan Woods has released a preliminary report on the ‘NZ Battery’ (Project Onslow) investigation – see here. She is due to present the final investigation report to Cabinet in December. At this stage it looks as though a very large (1,500 MW) power station would be a possibility: