Project status matters: operating assets, construction, proposals and research are not equivalent.
17generation connections being delivered3,242 MW · Transpower, 8 July 2026
235 MWgrid-battery power operating435 MWh of stored energy · 19 May 2026
1,415 MWgeneration under constructionElectricity Authority pipeline at October 2025
Grid-battery power capacity by project status
Electricity Authority · Data through 19 May 2026
Operating, under-construction and announced batteries are shown separately. MW measures discharge power; MWh measures how long that output can be sustained.
Megawatts of discharge power
Operating
235 MW
435 MWh across three batteries
Under construction
100 MW
Huntly, expected later in 2026
Announced or pursued
477 MW
Not yet operating
Balancing the system at different timescales
Renewable generation that could have been produced but is reduced or not used because supply, demand, storage, or network conditions cannot absorb it at that time. and low-hydro periods require different responses.
Seconds to hoursBalance peaks and short renewable surplusesFast response, flexible demand and batteries
Day to dayShift variable generation to periods of higher demandDemand response, storage and transmission capacity
Weeks to monthsMaintain supply through prolonged low-hydro conditionsFirm generation, deeper storage and sustained demand flexibility