Construction of the Wellington, New Zealand-headquartered electricity gentailer Meridian Energy Ruakākā battery energy storage system (BESS) is now complete.
The 100 MW / 200 MWh Ruakākā BESS, located in the Ruakākā Energy Park, 130 kilometres north of Auckland, has enough output to power around 60,000 average households during winter for a two-hour period.
The $186 million (USD 119 million) BESS consists of 80 containerised lithium-ion Saft Intensium shift battery modules from French energy storage systems giant Saft with grid integration support from national grid operator Transpower, which has also played a key role in planning, construction and commissioning.
Image: Saft
Meridian’s General Manager Development Guy Waipara said the BESS adds a North Island storage asset into New Zealand’s electricity system, and one that will perform a number of key roles.
“This BESS is a new and exciting addition to our asset portfolio. It gives us the ability to load shift between price periods, smooth out peak periods, provide greater resilience to Northland and enable Meridian to participate in the North Island electricity reserves market,” Waipara said.
“Although construction and commissioning are now complete, some steps remain before the BESS is fully operational, including approval of final commissioning test results.”
Meridian’s focus will now turned to the neighbouring $227 million, 130 MW Ruakākā Solar Farm, which is expected to deploy 250,000 solar panels and produce up to 239 GWh of energy, with construction set to begin in August 2025. Together with the BESS, this forms Meridian’s Ruakākā Energy Park.
“There is a tremendous amount going on across the industry to ensure Kiwi homes and businesses continue to have all the electricity they need at prices that continue to be internationally competitive,” Waipara said.
“Meridian is stepping up to the challenge with the Ruakākā Energy Park, part of $3 billion we will invest over the next five years.”
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