The first mega energy storage facility in New Zealand is now complete
New Zealand has completed its first industrial-scale energy storage installation — the Ruakākā Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with a capacity of 100 MW and 200 MWh. Located on the North Island near Whangārei, the facility sits within the Ruakākā Energy Park, just one kilometer from the region’s largest port and directly adjacent to a Transpower substation.
Technology and significance
The system consists of 80 containerized lithium-ion modules called Intensium Shift, supplied by the French company Saft. It can power up to 60,000 homes for two hours — about half of Northland’s population during winter peak demand.
Guy Waipara, Development Director at Meridian Energy, emphasizes that the BESS will help balance peak demand and shift energy consumption over time, while increasing the region’s resilience to network failures. The battery will be charged during low-demand periods—such as at night or during excess wind and solar generation—and will discharge energy during peak times in the morning and evening.
“It’s like an energy ‘bank.’ Just like an electric car—you charge it when energy is cheap and abundant, and use it when you need it most,” Waipara explains.
Towards future energy
Ruakākā BESS is the first phase of a larger energy park project valued at over 400 million USD. Construction of a neighboring 130 MW solar farm with 250,000 panels covering 172 hectares will begin in August 2025, with energy expected to feed into the grid by early 2027.
Ultimately, the entire energy park aims to reduce the region’s dependence on external energy sources and minimize risks of major outages. The most severe outage occurred in 2023, when a transmission line failure left all of Northland without power.
Investment in the future and local community
The battery construction was completed within a budget of 186 million NZD, involving numerous local contractors. Alongside the solar farm, restoration of a large wetland area is planned — part of Meridian’s ongoing sustainability strategy supporting the local ecosystem.
Nationwide, Ruakākā is only the beginning. Additional energy storage projects are underway in Huntly, Glenbrook, and Manawatū, with further investments planned, especially near new solar farms.
Source: ess-news.com