New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS) has agreed with Meridian Energy to provide 20MW of electricity to the national grid if needed over 12 weeks this winter. This pact allows Meridian to inject 20MW back into the system during winter's peak demand periods when the national grid faces its most significant strain.
This 20MW offering is in addition to the existing 50MW demand response arrangement already established with Meridian, as highlighted by NZAS. Beginning June 3, 2024, Meridian can request up to 20MW of electricity at any point for a maximum of four trading periods (equivalent to two hours) per day.
This arrangement can occur up to 20 trading periods within a fortnight, during which Tiwai will scale back its consumption to fulfil the request. New Zealand Aluminium Smelters estimates that 20MW is roughly the amount of electricity required to power all the homes in Napier city.
“We are very pleased to be able to offer this additional support for New Zealand’s power grid. While we all hope this winter will not put undue stress on the national grid, having up to 70MW of available electricity will be beneficial if New Zealand’s energy system does come under pressure would expect any future electricity supply arrangements to have demand response capability built into them. This recognises that with the energy we use comes a responsibility to play our part in keeping the lights on across New Zealand when needed,” said NZAS chief executive Chris Blenkiron.
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