Contact selects Tesla for Glenbrook big battery project

Contact Energy will build a 100MW (200MWh duration) grid-scale battery at Glenbrook in South Auckland.

The battery near NZ Steel and Transpower’s grid connection point is expected to cost about $163 million and start operating in Q1 2026.

“After a competitive tender process, Tesla has been selected to supply its Megapack 2 XL battery energy storage system and to provide commissioning and long-term maintenance services,” says Contact in a statement to the NZX.

“The agreement with Tesla includes an option to expand the capacity for the battery to 130MW (260MWh) at this site. Contact will manage the project overall and will start construction at the Glenbrook site immediately.”

Contact says it also has consent to build another 100MW grid-scale battery in Stratford, Taranaki.

“With the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter now confirmed to stay for the long-term, providing improved market certainty, Contact is advancing its plans for investment in new intermittent renewable generation across New Zealand,” says Contact, adding the Glenbrook battery will “support new wind and solar on an intra-day and intra-week basis and ultimately reduce reliance on gas peakers as Contact transitions to a low-carbon future”.

Contact says it’s delivering on its commitments under the Contact26 strategy.