Saft, a TotalEnergies subsidiary, has signed a 200 MWh extension contract with New Zealand’s Genesis Energy for the Huntly Power Station battery energy storage system. The expansion will bring total capacity to 400 MWh, using Saft’s Intensium Shift+ lithium-ion containers, with commissioning of stage two planned for 2028.
Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies and headquartered in Paris, has signed a contract with New Zealand’s Genesis Energy Limited to deliver a 200 MWh extension to the existing battery energy storage system (BESS) at Huntly Power Station on New Zealand’s North Island. The deal, announced on April 28, moves the Huntly installation toward a total capacity of 400 MWh, with commissioning of the second stage planned for 2028.
The expansion builds on the initial 100 MW / 200 MWh BESS that Saft completed under the original contract awarded two years ago. Saft will deliver the additional capacity as an extension to that turnkey solution, using its Intensium Shift+ lithium-ion battery containers combined with power conversion and control systems.
Vincent Le Quintrec, energy storage system (ESS) sales director at Saft, says: “Scaling Huntly with a 200 MWh battery extension demonstrates what utility-scale storage can deliver when backed by proven technology and end-to-end execution. Building on the first 100 MW / 200 MWh phase, Saft will provide additional lithium-ion containers, integrated power conversion and controls, supporting a more resilient and secure New Zealand power system.”
Huntly Power Station is New Zealand’s largest single electricity generation site, with an installed capacity of 1.2 GW from gas and coal-fired generation. Co-locating the expanded BESS with this thermal asset is central to Genesis’ Gen35 strategy, which positions grid-scale storage as a tool for firming hydropower output, managing wind and solar variability, reducing price volatility, and optimizing gas turbine operation by avoiding low-efficiency operating modes.
Tracey Hickman, chief operating officer at Genesis Energy, says: “Saft had proven an efficient and cost-effective partner in the delivery of stage one of the Huntly battery project. We were confident in selecting Saft once again to deliver stage two and look forward to continuing to work with them in helping secure a renewable energy future for New Zealand.”
New Zealand has committed under the Paris Agreement to reducing net carbon emissions to 50 percent below gross 2005 levels by 2030 and has passed the Zero Carbon Act, which targets net-zero carbon by 2050. Genesis Energy serves approximately 500,000 residential and business customers and also owns 65 percent of ChargeNet, New Zealand’s largest electric vehicle (EV) charging network.
The contract was signed by Angel Li, ESS APAC general manager at Saft, Vincent Le Quintrec, and Kade Mace, general manager of asset delivery at Genesis.
