New Zealand

New Zealand renewables company Lodestone Energy’s plans to develop an initial suite of five large-scale solar farms with a combined generation capacity of more than 365 GWh per annum has reached another milestone with construction beginning on the second of the projects.

The New Zealand government will investigate the viability of establishing a pumped hydroelectric facility on the South Island. The project could provide up to 8.5 TWh of annual generation and storage capacity to support the nation’s transition to 100% renewable electricity generation.

MAN Energy Solutions is building an industrial-scale heat pump that generates steam without using gas. It will produce steam to dry dairy ingredients at a milk farm in New Zealand.

The European Commission has presented the final version of its new rules for green hydrogen, with looser requirements to qualify hydrogen as “green.”

Lightsource bp and “gen-tailer” Contract Energy plan to build up to 380 GWh of annual grid-scale PV generation in New Zealand by 2026. The companies have now been chosen to develop what will be one of the nation’s largest solar farms.

New Zealand government-owned Genesis Energy and renewables partner FRV Australia have purchased an advanced 52 MW agrivoltaic solar project on New Zealand’s South Island. If the project meets its 2024 operational target as anticipated, it will be the country’s first utility-scale solar farm.

New Zealand is set to get its first big battery by 2024, as Meridian Energy has chosen Saft to build the 100 MW / 200 MWh Ruakaka battery energy storage system on the country’s North Island.

Australia-based Woodside Energy has beat Fortescue Future Industries for the opportunity to deliver the proposed 600 MW Southern Green Hydrogen megaproject in New Zealand. It will produce green hydrogen for export using power from partner Meridian Energy’s hydroelectric plant.

New Zealand’s solarZero says it aims to provide fast, sustained reserves with its virtual power plant (VPP) of 10,000 household battery systems. Meridian Energy, meanwhile, has secured approval for a 100 MW battery energy storage system – the country’s largest such system to date.