14 | Meridian Energy - Ruakākā Solar Farm T T Virginia Wright Powering Northland’s future.... Five hectares house BESS, leaving 165 for the 250,000 solar panels needed to generate the Ruakākā Solar Farm’s 130 megawatts capacity. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT About half an hour’s drive south of Whangarei one of Meridian Energy’s Development Projects, the Ruakākā Solar Farm, is under construction with Ethical Power their on-site EPC (Engineer Procure and Construct contractor). The Solar Farm is Phase 2 of the Ruakākā Energy Park project, with Phase 1, BESS, the Battery Energy Storage System, successfully completed in May 2025. While the Ethical Power team takes responsibility for the majority of the work, Meridian has its own Project Manager and team of specialists on site in functional and supervisory roles, with Health and Safety a particular focus. “For Meridian how we go about projects is as important as the project itself, so we like to be on the ground to oversee the work,” explains Project Director Chris More, a 30-year veteran of the electricity industry and Meridian’s Head of Renewable Construction. “When we finish the installation our Meridian operations team will be in the community for decades. “Our long-term relationships with residents, local authorities, iwi and hapu, are an integral part of the project, along with our commitment to the community, and taking care of the environment.” Sustainability is a key focus in Ruakākā as it was with the Harapaki Wind Farm recently completed in Napier, actively working to divert waste from landfill with a push to find a second life for commercial material in particular. Meridian takes its commitment to the environment seriously. The Ruakākā Energy Park is on a 200-hectare site of which around 30 hectares are being ecologically preserved with plantings related to environmentally sensitive wetlands, and to establishing a new, man-made wetland in what is a Meridian first. Five hectares house BESS, leaving 165 for the 250,000 solar panels needed to generate the Ruakākā Solar Farm’s 130 megawatts capacity. That’s on top of BESS’s storage capacity which when fully charged carries enough energy to boil 1.2 million kettles. Having battery capacity gives Meridian Energy a means to manage the wholesale price of electricity for their customers’ benefit, which will significantly increase with the solar farm, Chris explains. “The Ruakākā Energy Park once completed will deliver every year 230 gigawatts of power into Northland that wasn’t there previously, enough to power 30,000 households annually, (over half of Northland’s homes) so that increases Northland’s resilience and makes wholesale energy more affordable over time.” Meridian can charge their batteries, then feed power into the grid during peak times such as morning and evening when families are busy at home. Over the long term the positive effect this has on a household’s power bill is why Meridian is investing so heavily. Wholesale rates fluctuate like interest rates and Meridian wants to have the means to manage those rates on a larger scale to their customers’ advantage, Chris says. “Looking at the market right now (January 2026) the wholesale rate (which changes minute by minute) for Northland was $2.59 per megawatt hour with the country at 97% renewable generation. “In winter 2024, after a lengthy drought when renewable generation was low and both gas and coal reserves depleted, prices were averaging around $800 per megawatt hour. The difference is due to the current abundance of renewable energy available, provided by sun, wind, and rain. “We have several more renewable energy projects underway and in their early stages of planning as well as those we’ve already completed.” Independent analysis done in 2025 by Transpower New Zealand (the owner and operator of the New Zealand national grid), demonstrated that the Ruakākā BESS had already lowered electricity reserve prices. We are a young energetic team with plenty of experience in all things Fencing & Contracting. Growing up on a farm made learning the skills of rural fencing a necessity. Since then we have expanded into Security, Industrial & Residential fencing. We also offer contracting services & have a larg range of modern machinery. No job is too large or too small for us, get in touch and we will be happy to help. FENCING PROFESSIONALS WITH OVER 35 YEARS COMBINED EXPERIENCE Proudly Supporting Meridian Energy Industrial Rural Residential Security CONTACT 6 Awakino Point North Road, Dargaville, New Zealand | mark@acfencing.co.nz | 021 857 211 | www.acfencing.co.nz Self-cleaning design Abrasion resistant Higher Load Superior TC
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