en.Wedoany.com Reported - On July 15, the Tauhei Solar Farm, located near Hamilton in New Zealand's North Island with an installed capacity of 150 megawatts, has begun supplying electricity to the national grid. The project was developed and built by Harmony Energy in partnership with joint venture partner Igneo Infrastructure Partners.

Harmony Energy New Zealand Managing Director Garth Elmes stated that the project's energization progress is "significantly ahead of the original schedule," taking only 15 months from construction start to grid connection, and just two months after the installation of the final batch of nearly 330,000 solar panels. The project is expected to commence commercial operations in October 2026, approximately four months ahead of the original plan. Once fully operational, it can generate approximately 280 gigawatt-hours of renewable electricity annually, enough to meet the electricity needs of about 35,000 households.

The Tauhei project covers 182 hectares, surpassing the 47MW Lauriston Solar Farm near Christchurch on the South Island, which was developed by government-backed energy utility company Genesis in partnership with joint venture partner FRV Australia. The plant has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with electricity retailer Meridian Energy, under which Meridian will purchase 100% of the electricity output for the first 10 years of operation, and will also purchase early-stage generation before full commercial operations under a separate agreement.

In addition to power generation, most of the Tauhei site will continue to be used for agricultural production, transitioning from dairy farming to sheep farming. The solar panels provide shade and shelter for the sheep, and help maintain soil moisture during the hottest months of the year.