Meridian Energy, New Zealand’s largest electricity producer, has received consent to build a 110MW solar PV power plant near Morrinsville in the Waikato region of the North Island.
The Morrinsville Solar Farm will feature around 230,000 solar modules across a 134-hectare site located 2km east of Morrinsville and 600 metres south of the Piako substation, where the project will connect to the national grid.
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The plant is forecast to produce up to 200GWh of electricity per year. The consent also provides for the future addition of a distributed battery energy storage system (BESS) on-site.
Meridian chief executive, Mike Roan, said the consent was a positive step for both the company’s pipeline and the broader energy market.
“It’s great to have received a green light. This solar farm is one of many projects in our development pipeline that’ll boost the country’s energy supply and lower prices. Each of these projects will also provide a valuable boost for local economies through new jobs and local spend,” he said.
The project is forecast to create more than 100 local construction jobs and generate up to NZ$50 million (US$29 million) in local expenditure during construction.
The Morrinsville project is the latest addition to Meridian’s growing solar development pipeline, which spans several North Island sites at different stages of development.
The company’s Ruakākā Energy Park near Whangārei in Northland is the most advanced, with its battery storage system completed in 2025 and a 130MW solar PV plant currently under construction, with first power expected in late 2026.
In May 2026, Meridian secured consent for the 120MW Bunnythorpe Solar Farm near Palmerston North, a 280-hectare site adjacent to Transpower’s Bunnythorpe substation, subject to a final investment decision expected in the fourth quarter of 2027.
The Morrinsville consent arrives as New Zealand’s utility-scale solar sector accelerates across multiple developers.
Developer Harmony Energy New Zealand and Igneo Infrastructure Partners energised the 202MWp Tauhei Solar Farm near Te Aroha in the Waikato region earlier this month, now the country’s largest solar installation, with full commercial operations targeted for September to October 2026.
The Tauhei project is notable for its proximity to the Morrinsville site, with both located in the same Waikato region.
Earlier in July, Aquila Clean Energy APAC energised the 38MW Omeheu Solar Farm in Edgecumbe in the Bay of Plenty, the company’s second operational solar project in New Zealand, with the plant forecast to generate approximately 49.7GWh of electricity per year.
At the construction stage, Lodestone Energy and local lines company Centralines broke ground on the 31.5MWp Central Hawke’s Bay solar PV plant in Ongaonga this month, structured as a 50:50 joint venture and targeting operations by autumn 2027.
The Morrinsville Solar Farm is subject to a final investment decision by the Meridian board, with timing yet to be confirmed.
