Big solar on a roll, as 1GW project pipeline firms up in New Zealand

Giga-scale plans to build out large-scale solar farms in New Zealand will kick off this year, in a collaboration between German investment outfit Aquila Capital and local PV project developer Far North Solar Farm.

Aquila and FNSF said on Thursday they are ready to make a start on the portfolio of solar projects they have been developing across NZ and which could total up to 1GW of combined capacity, once completed.

The companies say they have invested significant capital and resources to select and assess suitable project sites and obtain permits and consents to get them to “ready-to-build”-status – enough to get started on “a handful of selected projects” this year.

Ultimately, the planned 1GW pipeline will include multiple project sites across the North and South Island and supply around 4 per cent of the country’s total annual energy demand, or around 11% of New Zealand’s current clean energy generation capacity.

“We can’t wait to start constructing the solar PV sites we have planned and consented,” said FNSF NZ director, John Telfer.

“To be partnering with such a committed global investor in clean energy generation as Aquila Capital, and on the scale that we collectively intend, is exciting not only for us but also the entire country.

“This partnership is ready to support the government’s emissions budget targets set to be announced by Climate Change Minister James Shaw next week and to help deliver on the promise of expanding the renewable energy sector within New Zealand,” Telfer said.

New Zealand currently has a national target to reach 90 per cent renewable electricity supply by 2025, with levels sitting just over the 80% mark, mostly supplied by hydro, wind and geothermal resources.

In solar, NZ has only one large-scale project in operation; but there are several more on the way, including the 23MW Lodestone One solar farm, the 3MW Naumai solar farm and the 16MW Pukenui solar farm, which FNSF broke ground on in July 2021.

Just last month, another duo – this time Lightsource bp and NZ utility Contact Energy – announced their own plans to collaborate on a big solar development spree across Aotearoa, targeting multiple projects of at least 50MW in size.