A ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the battery’s start of full operation was attended by Tukoroirangi Morgan, the chair of Te Arataura, the executive body of Waikato Tainui, Genesis board members Hinerangi Raumati Tu’ua and Tim Miles, Tainui Group Holdings chief executive Craig West and Genesis chief executive Malcolm Johns.
The 70 battery units were supplied by Saft, based in France, and installed by Northpower.
The battery is connected to the national grid directly from the Transpower substation at the Huntly site.
A second battery of the same size has already been approved for the Huntly site.
Construction will begin in late 2026 with full operation due in 2028.
Hickman said batteries were complementary to the solar farms Genesis was developing across the country, including a site at Rangiriri, just north of Huntly.
Batteries can store energy when it’s generated during the day for release when demand peaks, often during cold mornings or evenings.
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