Meridian completes 200MWh Ruakākā BESS in New Zealand
Meridian Energy, a New Zealand state-owned energy company, has completed the development of its 100MW/200MWh 2-hour duration Ruakākā battery energy storage
Built on land leased from NZ Steel, the site for the BESS (battery energy storage system) was ideal due to its proximity to the national grid, and closeness to the country's largest city. It will create around 50 jobs during construction. Contact has the option to further expand the capacity of the battery from 100MW to 130MW at the Glenbrook site.
A BESS is a number of large batteries that operate together as an energy storage facility, and is a bidirectional user of an energy network - meaning that it is able to 'take' energy from the grid (to store), and it can discharge that energy back into the system when required.
Over recent years, it has become common for utility-scale solar projects in Australia to include a grid-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) to provide energy generated by the solar farm to the grid outside of the times when the sun is shining.
“Contact Energy's BESS facility represents a significant step towards a more sustainable and resilient electricity network for New Zealand,” says Paul Minchin, New Zealand Location Director. “By integrating BESS technology, we're providing a viable alternative and enhancing the dispatchability of renewable energy sources.”
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