RUAKĀKĀ, NEW ZEALAND – May 23, 2025 – Construction of New Zealand’s first large-scale grid battery storage system is now complete. Meridian Energy officially opened its Ruakākā Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) today. This landmark project establishes a crucial North Island storage asset for the nation’s electricity system.
Project Scale and Investment
The Ruakākā BESS boasts a maximum output of 100MW of electricity. It offers a storage capacity of 200MWh. This capacity can power approximately 60,000 average households during winter for a two-hour period. Construction began in the first quarter of 2023. The project, located south of Whangārei, was completed within its original $186 million capital budget.
Strategic Benefits for New Zealand’s Grid
Guy Waipara, Meridian’s General Manager Development, highlighted the BESS’s diverse roles. He stated: “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.” While construction and commissioning are finished, the BESS requires approval of final commissioning test results before becoming fully operational.
Building the Ruakākā Energy Park and Future Investments
Meridian’s focus now shifts to the neighboring $227 million, 130MW Ruakākā Solar Farm. Construction for this project begins in August 2025. Together, the BESS and the solar farm will form Meridian’s comprehensive Ruakākā Energy Park.
Waipara further emphasized the significance of these assets for Northland and all of New Zealand. He noted: “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. Meridian is stepping up to the challenge with the Ruakākā Energy Park, part of $3 billion we will invest over the next five years.” Meridian has four other projects already consented, including another BESS in Manawatū. Several more are progressing through consenting processes. Beyond Manawatū, Meridian plans to integrate batteries into additional new solar farm projects.
Collaborative Success
Meridian partnered with Saft as its battery provider for the Ruakākā BESS. Additionally, Transpower played a crucial role in the project’s planning, construction, and commissioning. Guy Waipara concluded by thanking both partners for their contributions. He acknowledged: “Being the first of its kind in New Zealand, there has been a lot to learn.”
