Meridian’s Investor Days offer special insight into the work happening across Meridian to deliver more for New Zealand. We’re sharing some of the insights from our latest Investor Day to show what we’re doing to improve New Zealand’s electricity system and deliver better outcomes for our customers.
“We said seven projects in seven years—now we’re going further.”
Ask Meridian GM Development Guy Waipara to sum up the company’s project pipeline, and he’ll give you one word: ambitious.
Meridian’s development strategy is designed to accelerate New Zealand’s transition to clean energy while maintaining discipline in delivery. The company is seeing progress on several projects including Harapaki wind farm, which is already generating strong returns, and Ruakākā Solar Farm, which will share infrastructure with the recently commissioned Ruakākā battery to help speed up its delivery.
“Solar is just one of the many energy sources – we have hydro, and wind, there’s geothermal - all of those technologies have different times of use. Solar works perfectly during those spring and summer months as often there's not as much water available. So, the seasonality of solar works really well within this country's energy mix.”
The pipeline doesn’t stop there. Consented projects such as Mt Munro Wind Farm and Te Rahui Solar Farm, alongside fast-track candidates like Waiinu Energy Park and Western Bays Solar, will add significant capacity to Meridian’s portfolio. But, they come with challenges.
“Consent delays and capacity constraints are real but we’re taking a proactive stance to keep projects moving… We’re building the pipeline that will power New Zealand’s low-carbon future.”
Meridian’s approach includes on-balance-sheet development for medium-scale solar projects, early revenue strategies, and close engagement with Transpower to avoid grid bottlenecks. Flexibility and timing are critical to success, ensuring projects are sequenced to maximise efficiency and minimise risk.
With multiple projects already under way and more in the consent process, Meridian is taking the lead in renewable generation - delivering growth that aligns with both investor expectations and the need to provide New Zealand with the renewable energy it needs.
You can view the full Investor Day presentation here.
