Energy Project of the Year
This award recognises an energy sector project that has been planned, managed, and delivered with excellence and has created substantial value for stakeholders.
Sponsored by
Contact Energy
The Flex Factor: Glenbrook Ohurua Battery 1
winner
Energy Project of the Year
New Zealand Energy Excellence Awards 2026
Contact's Glenbrook Ohurua Battery 1 is a new 100MW grid-scale battery at NZ Steel's Glenbrook site. As one of New Zealand's first utility-scale batteries, it supplies fast flexibility: charging when renewable supply is strong and discharging to support customers through peaks, outages and unexpected events. Built in less than two years, and trading from 1 April 2026, the battery is fully integrated with Transpower's grid and optimised by our in-house BatMan system. It strengthens security of supply and supports lower-emissions dispatch. Just as importantly, it proves a repeatable delivery and operating model - now supporting our next stage, Battery 2.