Consent granted for a large solar power plant at Ruakākā in Northland

Approval has been granted to build a solar power plant in Ruakākā, Northland, which will produce more than three times the energy of the largest solar farm currently operating in New Zealand.

If all goes according to plan, Meridian’s Ruakākā solar farm will begin producing energy in late 2026.

The 200,000-panel solar farm will be spread across three sites at Marsden Point, covering a total area of ​​172 hectares and with a maximum output of 120 megawatts (MW).

It is expected to produce 150-200 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per year, equivalent to the energy consumption of half of Northland’s homes.

Currently, New Zealand’s largest solar farms are located at Kaitāia in the Far North and Edgecumbe in the Bay of Plenty. Both are operated by Lodestone Energy and have an expected annual production of 55 GWh.

The Ruakākā solar farm will be built next to Meridian’s 100MW battery storage facility, which is expected to be completed early next year.

This means that solar energy can be stored and released into the national grid when it is most needed, for example in the evenings when household energy consumption is high and the sun is not shining.

The battery installation will consist of 80 shipping container-sized lithium-ion batteries, built by French company Saft, and will occupy an area equivalent to two rugby pitches.

It will be the first such large battery production plant connected to the grid in New Zealand.

Meridian’s head of renewable energy development, Rebecca Knott, said the project would increase Northland’s resilience by harnessing its “phenomenal natural resources” to reduce its dependence on electricity generated in other parts of the country.

The Ruakākā Energy Park, which included a solar farm and batteries, was one of several renewable energy projects Meridian was working on to improve the security of electricity supply and help create a low-carbon future, she added.

Construction of the photovoltaic farm would start by the end of the year, provided that an appeal is submitted and the final decision of the Meridian Management Board is submitted.

The approval was given last week by Northland Regional Council after approval by independent commissioners.

A council spokesman said Meridian had applied for resource consents for earthworks, stormwater drainage and drainage and vegetation removal.

In February, Whangārei District Council granted consent for the use of the land.

The application, submitted in September 2023 and publicly announced in March, also proposed the creation and restoration of 19 hectares of wetlands in three areas to offset the permanent removal of 17 hectares of wetlands.

Two motions supported this proposal and 10 were against.

Commissioners David Hill and Sheila Taylor said the benefits of generating electricity were undisputed and that the adverse effects, after taking into account mitigating and positive effects, would be small.

Objectors have 15 days to appeal the decision.

While Meridian’s proposal is huge by New Zealand solar farm standards, it is still dwarfed by Top Energy’s geothermal plant at Ngāwhā, near Kaikohe.

Last year, Ngāwhā produced 444 GWh of energy compared to estimates of 150-200 GWh for the Ruakākā solar farm.

This is because geothermal power plants operate almost constantly, and photovoltaic farms produce energy only when the sun is shining.

Marsden Point was once home to two 250MW oil-fired power stations.

Marsden A was built in the 1960s and partially demolished in the 1990s, but was still used until 2007 to operate the national electricity grid.

Marsden B was built in the 1970s but never used. It was dismantled and shipped to India in 2012.