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.

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.

Are battery energy storage systems a good idea?

There are benefits both at the large ‘grid scale’ end of town and for consumers using an EV or a small battery to manage their household electricity use. The Electricity Authority (EA) has released its regulatory roadmap for battery energy storage systems.

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.

What is a battery energy storage system?

Solving that intermittency issue is a fantastic opportunity for those developing or investing into firming technologies such as Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). A BESS captures, stores and discharges electricity.

Is Meridian Energy building another megawatt project in New Zealand?

However, electricity generator and retailer Meridian Energy – owned by UK renewables utility Good Energy – is currently building another project almost three times as big in megawatt terms and of 2-hour duration, also on the North Island of New Zealand.