Where is New Zealand's first large-scale battery storage system located?

Meridian Energy has officially opened New Zealand's first large-scale grid battery storage system at Ruakākā, the first of its kind, and a milestone in the country's renewable energy infrastructure development. The Ruakākā Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) delivers 100 megawatts (MW) of maximum output with 200 MW-hour storage capacity.

Why are battery energy storage systems important in New Zealand?

There is growth in renewable energy generation as New Zealand moves to a low carbon economy. But renewable energy like solar and wind are intermittent which means Battery Energy Storage Systems, which can be flicked on to supply power quickly, are important to manage winter peaks, and to make the national power grid resilient.

Which energy company is building New Zealand's first grid-connected battery energy storage system?

Meridian Energy is building New Zealand’s first large-scale grid-connected battery energy storage system (BESS) at Ruakākā on North Island Paris, January 10, 2023 – Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, has been awarded a major contract by Meridian Energy to construct New Zealand’s first large-scale grid-connected BESS.

What is New Zealand's biggest battery storage project?

As reported by Energy-Storage.news in March, New Zealand’s biggest publicly announced battery storage project is a 35MW system currently under construction by electricity distribution company WEL Networks and developer Infratec.

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.

How much does the New Zealand battery project cost?

The almost $140 million (NZD 150 million) battery project, which is scheduled to be operational by late 2026, is the first phase of a planned multi-stage development that is expected to deliver up to 400 MW / 800 MWh of energy storage capacity at the site, about 100 kilometres south of Auckland.