New Zealand utility Meridian Energy has received consent to build a 120MW solar PV project alongside a planned battery energy storage system (BESS).
The approval was granted for a 280-hectare site in the Manawatū region of New Zealand’s North Island. The Bunnythorpe Solar Farm will deploy around 250,000 solar modules and is expected to generate around 225GWh of power annually. It will be co-located with a BESS which has already secured approval.
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Meridian said the project forms part of a NZ$3 billion (US$1.7 billion) investment it will make through 2030 in developing new renewable energy capacity across New Zealand. The Bunnythorpe project will be Meridian Energy’s second solar PV plant in New Zealand, following the 130MW Ruakākā Energy Park that began construction in October 2025.
Meridian Energy is also developing a 400MW site on the North Island through a joint venture with Wellington-headquartered Nova Energy. Construction on that project began earlier this month.
“Solar energy is playing an increasingly important role in New Zealand’s electricity generation, and we’re excited to bring this to Manawatū,” said Guy Waipara, Meridian GM of development.
In October 2024, the New Zealand government introduced a bill to fast-track ten utility-scale solar projects across the country, including significant multi-hundred MW sites. Since, the country’s utility-scale solar market has heated up significantly. In addition to Meridian Energy’s activity, Genesis Energy has broken ground on a 136MWp project in Edgecumbe, Bay of Plenty; Foresight group acquired a 300MW solar-plus-storage platform, its first sector investment in New Zealand; and Contact Energy raised US$316 million to develop large-scale solar and other renewable energy projects.
