Meridian Energy
Meridian Energy Limited is a New Zealand electricity generator and retailer. The company generates the largest proportion of New Zealand's electricity, generating 35 percent of the country's electricity in the year ending December 2014, and is the fourth largest retailer, with 14 percent of market share in terms of customers as of December 2015.
Meridian was one of three electricity companies formed from the break-up of the Electricity Corporation of New Zealand in 1998–99, taking over the Waitaki River and the Manapouri hydro schemes. Originally a state-owned enterprise wholly owned by the New Zealand Government, the company was partially privatised in October 2013 by the Fifth National Government, with the government retaining a 51.02% shareholding.
Today, Meridian operates seven hydroelectric power stations and one wind farm in the South Island of New Zealand, four wind farms in the North Island, and two wind farms in southern Australia – one in South Australia and one in Victoria. It is one of three major electricity generators to only generate electricity from renewable sources, and the only electricity generator in New Zealand to commit itself to only generate electricity from renewable sources. Despite this commitment, Meridian Energy was found to have pushed up power prices in December 2019 by unnecessarily spilling water from its south island dams that could have been used for generation, according to a preliminary ruling from New Zealand’s Electricity Authority.
History
Meridian originated from the break-up of the Electricity Corporation of New Zealand in 1999 as a result of the reforms of the New Zealand Electricity Market. Meridian's share of ECNZ was corporatised as a state-owned enterprise with its own board of directors and with two Ministerial shareholders: the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises. In 2013 it was partially privatised by the fifth National Government of New Zealand.As part of reforms, local electricity companies were split into lines and retail and the retail portion sold off. Meridian initially acquired the retail base of Northpower, Centralines, Scanpower, and Network Waitaki, and later acquired Orion's retail base from NGC.
- 2001 – Meridian purchased five mini hydro-power stations in Australia. These stations linked with dams used primarily for irrigation, and have a total generating capacity of 62 MW.
- September 2001 – Meridian purchased the South Island customer-base of Natural Gas Corporation, at the time New Zealand's largest electricity retailer. The purchase came towards the end of an exceptionally dry autumn. Low hydro-levels had driven the wholesale market spot prices to very high levels. NGC had purchased the customer-base when Canada's TransAlta quit New Zealand. NGC re-branded itself as OnEnergy to escape the poor reputation of the "TransAlta" brand. OnEnergy found itself with insufficient generation capacity to stand the high winter market prices and had made the critical mistake of not purchasing any hedge contracts. It attempted to raise its retail prices, but its customers then flocked to other retailers. Finally, after suffering huge losses, NGC had perforce to quit the retail sector, selling its customer-base to two of the Government's companies: Meridian and Genesis Energy. At that point, the New Zealand electricity market became further vertically integrated, and many have come to believe that this adversely affected competition in the retail electricity market.
- April 2003 – Meridian extended its operations in Australia with the purchase of Southern Hydro, increasing its Australian generating capacity by 540 MW.
- Southern Hemisphere Winter 2003 – Low hydro inflows and storage levels again resulted in exceptional wholesale market spot prices. As a consequence, the retailers TrustPower and Freshstart abandoned market areas where they had no generation. This strengthened Meridian's dominance of the South Island customer-base.
- 29 March 2004 – Meridian cancelled Project Aqua, a controversial 524 MW power scheme for six dams and a man-made canal on the Lower Waitaki River in North Otago. The scheme allegedly represented the last opportunity for large-scale hydroelectric development of this magnitude in New Zealand. Abandoning the venture cost Meridian NZ$38.7 million. – Meridian stopped the scheme because of uncertainty over rights to use the water, growing costs, and the difficulties and uncertainties with obtaining consents under the Resource Management Act legislation. In July 2004, Meridian announced an independent audit of the abandoned scheme.
- 9 December 2004 – then Prime Minister Helen Clark officially opened the Te Apiti Wind Farm – Meridian's first wind farm.
- 2 June 2005 – Meridian announced a proposal to develop a wind farm west of Wellington, Project West Wind with up to 70 wind turbines with a total capacity of 210 MW, built across 55.8 square km on rural land near Mākara at the south-western tip of the North Island. A local pressure group, the Makara Guardians, opposed the scheme. Successful application for resource consent for the project was announced on 21 December 2005. The consent was subsequently appealed and upheld in May 2007.
- 30 November 2005 – Meridian completed the sale of its Australian operation, Southern Hydro, for A$1.42 billion to Australian Gas Light Company. Meridian had steadily expanded and upgraded its assets in Australia since purchase, including commissioning a 91 MW wind-farm. The sale commanded a hefty premium, driven by new demand for renewable energy-generation because of mandatory Australian requirements that electricity retailers sell a proportion of renewable energy.
- 8 June 2007 – The White Hill Wind Farm is officially opened.
- 29 April 2009 – Prime Minister John Key officially turns on the first 15 turbines on the West Wind wind farm.
- 1 June 2011 – The sale of Meridian Energy's Tekapo A and Tekapo B hydroelectric power stations to Genesis Energy took effect. The sale was part of a package of government reforms aimed at improving the electricity sector.
- 30 September 2013 – 49 percent of shares in the company officially offered for sale at between $1.50 and $1.80
Power stations
Proposed
Projects being developed by Meridian Energy include the following.| Name | Type | Capacity | Location | Status |
| Harapaki | Wind | 34 km northwest of Napier | Consented | |
| Rototuna | Wind | 500 MW | Northland west coast | - |
| Project Central Wind | Wind | 130 MW | between Waiouru and Taihape, North Island | consents granted upheld by Env Court |
| Mt Munro | Wind | 60 MW | near Eketahuna | applied for consents |
| Hurunui | Wind | 80 MW | Greta Valley, North Canterbury | - |
| Pukaki | Hydro | 35 MW | on the Pukaki River | consents granted |
| Hunter Downs | Irrigation | Waitaki River, South Canterbury | - | |
| Manapouri amended discharge project | Hydro | Consents Granted |
Cancelled
Sustainability
Carbon Footprint
In 2006, Greenpeace judged Meridian as the only "green" electricity company in New Zealand. In 2007, Meridian announced that it had received CarboNZero certification from Landcare Research confirming that the generation and retailing of its electricity was carbon neutral.In 2008, Meridian issued and sold the first carbon credits issued and sold under the JI program of the Kyoto Protocol.
In June 2008, National's Climate Change spokesman Nick Smith complained to the Commerce Commission that Meridian's claim of carbon neutrality in its advertising was misleading as Smith considered that Meridian had to buy thermally generated power during dry years to supply its customers. A spokesman for Meridian said they stood by the validity of the certification of their carbon-neutral status. In July 2009, the Commerce Commission concluded that Meridian's statements of carbon neutrality were not misleading.
Electric Vehicles and Charging Programme
In 2015 Meridian began converting its business fleet to electric vehicles in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. In early 2019 Meridian joined the EV100 initiative, it has committed to its light passenger vehicle business fleet becoming 100% electric by 2030. In August 2019 the company won the Deloitte Energy Award for a Low Carbon Initiative for its work on electric business fleet conversion.Kākāpō Recovery Programme
Meridian Energy are National Partners of the Department of Conservation Kākāpō Recovery Programme since 2016. Kākāpō are an endangered New Zealand native parrot. The involvement helps fund research and initiatives relating to genetics, nutrition, disease management and finding new sites. Meridian staff are also involved through providing electrical support and volunteers to the remote pest-free islands the kākāpō are surviving on.Project River Recovery
In 1990 Meridian established Project River Recovery, recognising the impacts of hydroelectric development from the 1930s to the 1980s on the Waitaki's braided rivers and wetlands. Project River Recovery's work is run by the New Zealand Department of Conservation and includes intensive weed control, predator control, construction of wetlands, and research and monitoring programmes. When Tekapo A and Tekapo B were sold to Genesis Energy in 2011, the electricity company joined the compensatory funding agreement.Waiau River Recovery
In 1996 the Waiau Fisheries and Wildlife Enhancement Trust was formed to mitigate and improve the Waiau River from impacts by the Manapouri Hydro Station. The trust was established in partnership with the Waiau Working Party and ECNZ. The area covered is from Te Wae Wae BaCommunity
Wellington Wind Sculpture Walkway
Wellington, New Zealand's capital city, is well known for wind and the Meridian Energy Wind Sculpture walkway celebrates this. In 2007 the four sculptures won Best Public Art and the final piece was opened in May 2010. The five sculptures are the 'KidsCan
In 2013 Meridian became the principle partner of the KidsCan Charity. In April 2019 the company committed to a further three years of support, helping provide lunches, raincoats, shoes and warm clothing to kids in need.Power Up Community Fund
Meridian supports communities near its generation assets through the Power Up fund. This includes promoting conservation, community and educational efforts in seven communities around New Zealand.Subsidiaries
- , a consultancy specialising in dam safety
- Powershop, an electricity retail broker.
- Flux Federation, an energy software platform.