New Zealand Power Grid Projects

Hitachi Energy has been selected by Transpower to deliver the second stage of a NZ$144 million grid transformation project at the Ōtāhuhu substation in Auckland. Under the agreement, Hitachi Energy will install a ±150 MVAr SVC Light® STATCOM (static synchronous compensator) unit to provide fast, dynamic reactive power support and voltage control for New Zealand’s North Island grid. This deployment addresses growing stability challenges driven by the retirement of thermal generation, declining system inertia, and a forecasted 70 percent increase in electricity demand by 2050, all amid accelerating electrification of industry, transportation, and data centers.

Building on the successful commissioning of a similar ±150 MVAr STATCOM at Hamilton in 2023, the Ōtāhuhu installation leverages Hitachi Energy’s Grid-enSure™ portfolio of power-electronics solutions. Transpower’s Executive General Manager of Grid Development, Matt Webb, emphasized the importance of voltage support to reliably transmit power over long transmission corridors into Auckland’s urban load center. Wayne Clay, Vice President for Australia & New Zealand at Hitachi Energy, noted that the SVC Light® technology enhances the grid’s capacity to integrate renewable resources and maximize the value of existing high-voltage assets, reinforcing the partnership’s role in advancing New Zealand’s sustainable energy future.

Image Credit: