Huntly set to be the home of big BESS- renewable energy battery

Huntly will soon be home to New Zealand's first giant utility scale battery.

The 35 megawatt battery energy storage system named BESS is expected to undergo construction in July on Rotowaro road, before being commissioned in December 2022.

It seeks to reduce Waikato's carbon emissions and contribute towards New Zealand’s goal of becoming 100% renewable by 2030.

Leading the $25 million build is Aotearoa's fifth-largest electricity distribution company WEL Networks, alongside Infratec and Saft and Power Electronics NZ Ltd.

It comes after 17,752 homes overseen by WEL Networks were left without power due to an unexpected outage in 2021.

WEL Networks Chief Executive Garth Dibley said the new battery will support a range of power users.

"This is an exciting development which will deliver significant value to WEL’s network customers. The battery will support the charging of electric vehicles, maximising the benefits of solar power and providing back up during grid emergencies”.

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With hopes of making Waikato’s energy supply more reliable, BESS is expected to store enough energy to meet the daily demands of over 2000 homes while being able to correct supply and demand imbalances more quickly.

Saft Executive Vice President for Energy Storage Solutions, Hervé Amossé, said the battery would be a starting point towards installing more renewable energy sources.

"This first network-scale battery system will contribute to the country’s Net Zero ambition by 2030, allowing for more renewable energy to be installed and connected to the network and providing essential services to enhance grid stability and resilience".

WEL Networks and Infratec were also looking into solar farm options to accompany the battery storage that could deliver renewable power to local consumers in a financially sustainable way.