- Saft is providing a complete turnkey BESS based on 70 of its Intensium® Shift+ lithium-ion battery containers
- Genesis Energy Limited is developing a 100 MW/200 MWh BESS at Huntly Power Station on New Zealand’s North Island
- Project is Saft’s third utility-scale BESS for New Zealand
Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, has won a major contract to deliver a turnkey, utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) for Genesis Energy Limited, a listed New Zealand generation, wholesale, and retail energy company. The 100megawatt (MW) / 200 megawatt-hour (MWh) BESS will be installed at Huntly Power Station on the country’s North Island.
Genesis is making energy storage an important step in developing a broader range of firming and flexibility assets, known as the Huntly Portfolio, with the ability to respond to hydropower, wind, solar and price volatility, as well as supply disruptions, as the New Zealand market continues to invest in renewables. Such assets are critical to the system as the contribution of variable resources increases in the electricity mix: they ensure power continuity when generation is low and avoid curtailment of precious wind and solar generation when generation is high.
“This major contract for Genesis will be Saft’s third utility-scale BESS to support the New Zealand grid. This success is based on the growing reputation of our Intensium lithium-ion battery containers as a reliable and cost-effective solution, combined with our capability to provide a turnkey solution comprising energy storage, power conversion, and control systems”, said Hervé Amossé, Saft EVP Energy Storage System.
We were impressed by Saft’s competitive offer and track record in delivering utility-scale BESS projects in New Zealand. This is why we selected their BESS solution for the first phase of our Huntly Portfolio,” commented Tracey Hickman, Chief Wholesale Officer of Genesis.
New Zealand has committed to reducing its net carbon emissions to 50 percent below gross 2005 levels by 2030, under the Paris Agreement. It also passed the Zero Carbon Act which commits the country to be zero carbon by 2050. The Huntly Portfolio, located at Huntly Power Station is the single largest electricity generation site in New Zealand and provides an important role in the country’s electricity market, currently using gas and coal fired generation, with low carbon fuels planned for the future to support a highly renewable generation fleet.
Saft will engineer the 100 MW/200 MWh Huntly BESS as a complete turnkey solution based on 70 of its Intensium Shift+ lithium-ion battery containers combined with power conversion and control systems. It is planned to come online in the third quarter of 2026.
