The New-Zealand energy company Meridian Energy has reached an FID and construction approval for its 130 MW Ruakākā solar project, located south of Whangārei in northern New Zealand. The NZD227m (US$130m) project is planned to have 250,000 solar panels capable of producing up to 230 GWh/year of electricity once it starts commercial operations. Construction works are expected to start in August 2025. The project, in combination with Meridian’s 100 MW Ruakākā BESS (to be operational in April 2025), will complete the company’s Ruakākā Energy Park project.
The company is also moving forward with its project pipeline, with the approval of its 90 MW Mt Munro wind project near Eketāhuna, the partnership with Nova Energy Limited (50:50) to build the 400 MW Te Rahui solar project at Rangitāiki near Taupō and the consent for its 100 MW BESS in Manawatū.
Meridian Energy is New Zealand’s largest electricity generation company with a total capacity of 2.94 GW (2024), consisting entirely of renewables (85% of hydro, and 19% of wind). At the end of New Zealand’s total electricity capacity amounts to 9.9 GW (end of 2023), of which solar represents 4%.
Interested in Power Plants?
Enerdata has developed a market research service to screen, monitor and analyse the development of power generation assets.
Power Plant Tracker offers an interactive database and a powerful search engine covering power plants worldwide – including both installed and planned capacities for renewables and fossil fuels.