Dry-Year Policy, Reliability & Storage Debate

Meridian’s August 2026 operating data confirms exceptionally strong national and South Island hydro storage, with record demand met by renewables and batteries, easing immediate winter-security concerns. El Niño remains a weather-risk caveat, while Huntly Unit 5’s six-month outage, Contact’s Taranaki CCGT retirement, declining gas supply and scarcity events continue to expose the need for firming, storage, demand response and clearer reliability obligations.