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Power Plants in New Zealand

New Zealand has 98 power plants mapped on the OverWatts open energy atlas — the 41st-largest fleet of the 155 countries that hold any, and 0.3% of the world's mapped total. Of these, 36 operating and 61 under construction or proposed. Operating generation capacity totals 8.6 GW across 36 utility-scale plants of 100 MW and above. The largest is South Taranaki Bight (Taranaki Offshore Partners) offshore wind farm (2.0 GW).

The largest owner-operators are Meridian Energy (14), Contact Energy Ltd (13) and Genesis Energy Ltd (11) — Meridian Energy alone is named on 14% of them. Half of New Zealand's power plants in service predate 1987 (median commissioning year of the 36 with a known date), 5 came online in the past decade and the oldest still listed is Arapuni hydroelectric plant, dating from 1929. 61 are in the pipeline, led by South Taranaki Bight (Taranaki Offshore Partners) offshore wind farm (2.0 GW), proposed. They account for 68% of every energy asset OverWatts maps in New Zealand.

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98
Power Plant in New Zealand
#41
of 155 countries
8.6 GW
Operating capacity
61
In construction / proposed

Operating generation capacity by fuel

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Largest power plants in New Zealand

Who owns New Zealand's power plants

Counts an asset once per company named as its owner or operator; a joint venture counts for each partner.

When they were built

Median commissioning year 1987 · oldest Arapuni hydroelectric plant (1929) · newest Tauhara geothermal power plant (2024) · 36 of 98 carry a start date

Under construction & proposed

How New Zealand compares · power plants by country

Frequently asked

How many power plants are there in New Zealand?
OverWatts maps 98 power plants in New Zealand — 0.3% of the world's mapped total, the 41st-largest national fleet of the 155 countries with any.
What is the largest power plant in New Zealand?
South Taranaki Bight (Taranaki Offshore Partners) offshore wind farm, at 2.0 GW.
How much power-generation capacity do New Zealand's power plants have?
About 8.6 GW operating across 36 plants, with a further 18.9 GW under construction or proposed. That covers utility-scale sites of 100 MW and above, so it sits below national installed capacity wherever distributed generation is large.
Who owns the power plants in New Zealand?
Meridian Energy is named as owner or operator on the most — 14 of 98 (14%). Next are Contact Energy Ltd (13), Genesis Energy Ltd (11) and Mercury Energy (11).
How old are New Zealand's power plants?
The median commissioning year is 1987, across the 36 in service with a known start date. The oldest still listed is Arapuni hydroelectric plant (1929); 5 came online in the past ten years.
What new power plants are being built in New Zealand?
61 projects are under construction or proposed. The largest are South Taranaki Bight (Taranaki Offshore Partners) offshore wind farm (2.0 GW), South Taranaki Bight (Energy Quarry Zealandia) offshore wind farm (1.0 GW) and South Taranaki Bight (Oceanex) offshore wind farm (1.0 GW).

Other asset classes in New Zealand

Coal / Uranium Mine 24Oil & Gas Field 7Export Terminal 5Pipeline 4Cement Plant 2Chemical Plant 2Iron Ore Mine 2Iron & Steel Plant 1

Power Plants in other countries

China 11,537United States 3,831India 1,675Brazil 879Spain 653Australia 615Philippines 489Russia 461Canada 452Vietnam 392Japan 387Germany 335