Is New Zealand's first large-scale grid battery storage system complete?

Construction of New Zealand’s first large-scale grid battery storage system is now complete, with Meridian Energy’s Ruakākā Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) being officially opened in a ceremony later today.

Will Infratec build a new energy storage system in New Zealand?

Infratec general manager Nick Bibby said that the storage system is “the first of its scale to be built in New Zealand”. As reported by Energy-Storage.news, the two companies completed their assessment of the project in late 2021, selecting a site in Huntly, a town in the Waikato District.

Will a 100 mw storage system improve New Zealand's national grid?

The 100 MW storage system, to be operated by Meridian Energy, is designed to improve the stability of New Zealand’s national grid as intermittent renewable power generation increases in the country.

What can New Zealand do to improve energy resilience?

WEL Networks and Infratec said they are actively pursuing other opportunities to enhance resilience and increase access to renewable energy in the region. New Zealand currently has a couple of 1MW battery storage systems in operation, but certainly nothing on the scale of the BESS in Huntly.

Is a 130 MW solar farm being built in New Zealand?

A large-scale grid-connected battery energy storage system is to be built at Ruakākā on North Island, which is the first stage of a project that will also include the construction of a co-located 130 MW solar farm. This is thought to be the first of its kind in New Zealand.

Is a 35mw/35mwh storage system being built in New Zealand?

The two companies said last Friday (20 October) that their 35MW/35MWh project, in the Waikato region of New Zealand’s Upper North Island, has entered the commissioning phase. Infratec general manager Nick Bibby said that the storage system is “the first of its scale to be built in New Zealand”.