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11 APR 2025
New Zealand’s latest grid-scale battery, set to power the equivalent of 44,000 Kiwi homes at peak demand, has moved one step closer to reality.
Contact Energy (Contact) has today announced that the installation of 56 battery units has begun at the Glenbrook, South Auckland site with the grid-scale battery on track to be operational by next March.
The $163million industrial-sized lithium battery will store excess renewable electricity, often generated by wind or solar in off-peak periods when demand is low, that would otherwise go to waste. In an instant it can then rapidly discharge this stored electricity to the grid when most needed and provide backup electricity to the grid in times of unexpected outages.
Contact’s Chief Development and Major Projects Officer Dorian Devers says the company is committed to both being a leader in the decarbonisation of the country and contributing further to a secure, reliable energy system.
“We are doubling down on our focus to increase electricity generation and improve the resilience of the electricity network. From autumn 2026 our Glenbrook-Ohurua battery will contribute to our diversified fleet of generation, and store energy in reserve ready to discharge to the national grid at a split second when it is needed most,” said Mr Devers.
“This investment and technology is a significant and exciting step forward for New Zealand. It is a game changer, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and supporting the energy transition and the development of renewables like wind and solar.”
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. It also has been granted consent to build another 100MW grid scale battery in Stratford, Taranaki.
ENDS
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About Contact
Contact Energy is one of New Zealand’s largest energy generators and retailers. We have more than 607,000 customer connections with electricity, gas, broadband and mobile plans. We operate 11 power stations across New Zealand, using geothermal, hydro and thermal energy to generate electricity.
We are committed to leading the decarbonisation of New Zealand and are working towards making our generation operations net zero by 2035.
We are a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Asia-Pacific (DJSI Asia-Pacific), which is a global benchmark for corporate sustainability.
More information can be found on contact.co.nz and in Contact’s 2024 Integrated Report.
Further details about our mahi with geothermal energy can be found on the BBC Storyworks Humanising Energy Series here.
For independent complaint or pricing advice, click here. UDL & Powerswitch can help.
To read our Residential Consumer Care policy on how we'll keep you safe and connected, click here.