Central Hawke’s Bay – Lodestone

About

New Energy is proud to be Lodestone’s delivery partner for the Central Hawke’s Bay Solar Farm, located in Ongaonga on the Ruataniwha Plains. The project is a joint venture between Lodestone Energy and Centralines, combining Lodestone’s renewable energy expertise with Centralines’ strong local network and community connections.

This project marks another significant milestone in our long-standing relationship with Lodestone Energy. Having successfully delivered multiple solar farms together, the Central Hawke’s Bay Solar Farm is the first project where New Energy has been directly engaged by Lodestone Energy as its construction partner for the full mechanical and electrical scope.

Mechanical construction is scheduled to commence in Spring 2026, with first generation expected in March 2027. Once complete, the solar farm will have a generation capacity of 31.5 MWp. The project includes the installation of 49,168 solar panels, advanced string inverter technology, and four smart transformer stations connected directly to the Centralines electricity network.

As New Energy’s latest utility-scale solar project, this Central Hawke’s Bay farm further demonstrates our capability to deliver complex renewable energy infrastructure across New Zealand. We look forward to continuing our successful partnership with Lodestone Energy and working alongside Centralines to deliver another high-quality solar farm that will provide clean, locally generated electricity for the Hawke’s Bay region for decades to come.