NZ Battery project

Over the period 2016-2023 the New Zealand Government investigated options to ensure sufficient energy storage for electricity generation in the event of future low rainfall resulting in inadequate hydro lake storage. (The NZ battery project). The bioenergy options investigated included energy storage from gaseous, liquid and solid biofuels.

New Zealand’s ‘dry year problem’ is when our existing hydro-power catchments don’t receive enough rainfall or snowmelt and the level of the storage lakes runs low. When this occurs some form of back-up is needed, and this is currently provided by fossil fuel generation.

The NZ Battery Project was undertaken to explore ways to solve the dry year problem in New Zealand without using fossil fuels.

View related material

• Climate Conversations - New Zealand Battery Other Technologies'
  a webinar on all the options investigated by the NZ Battery Project (Dec 2023)

• NZ Battery Project: Proposal to advance two options detailed business case
  a Cabinet paper seeking authorisation to advance two New Zealand Battery options to detailed business case (published 20 Sept 2023) - PDF, 261KB, 23 pages

• NZ Battery Project: Proposal to advance two options to a detailed business case - minute of decision
  Cabinet agreed to authorise to advance two New Zealand Battery options to detailed business case (Published 20 Sept 2023)

• NZ Battery Project:  Progressing to the next phase - cabinet paper
  Cabinet paper seeking to progress the New Zealand Battery Project to its next phase of work, (published 31 March 2023), PDF, 288KB, 33 pages

• NZ Battery Project: Progressing to the next phase - Minute of Decision
  Cabinet agreed to progress the New Zealand Battery Project to its next phase of work.

• NZ Battery Project Indicative Business Case and Appendices - Feb 2023
  Business case to progress the New Zealand Battery Project to its next phase of work, (published 31 March 2023),  PDF, 9.9MB, 429 pages

• Update on the New Zealand Battery Project - June 2022
  Cabinet paper updating on findings and seeking decisions to shape the focus of the remainder of Phase 1 of the project, (published 5 Aug 2022), PDF, 222KB, 16 pages

• Update on the NZ Battery Project - Minute of Decision - June 2022
  Cabinet noted the update on the project, (published 5 Aug 2022), PDF, 134KB, 3 pages

• Update on the NZ Battery Project - Dec 2020
  The paper provides an update on the New Zealand Battery Project, (published 22 Feb 2021), PDF, 169KB, 9 pages

• Update on the NZ Battery Project - Minute of Decision - December 2020
  Cabinet noted the update on the New Zealand Battery Project, (Published 22 Feb 2021),  

You can access other relevant reports on the MBIE website here.