Building New Zealand’s solar future with Lodestone

Beca’s partnership with Lodestone Energy is helping deliver meaningful progress in New Zealand’s renewable energy journey.

In 2024, and with the support of Beca’s modelling, engineering and advisory services, Lodestone Energy commissioned New Zealand’s first two utility-scale solar farms with a third near completion by the year end. With plans to develop over 18 solar projects across the country, Lodestone’s farms will elevate solar as a significant contributor to New Zealand’s renewable energy mix. 

Through these project collaborations we’ve forged a trusted relationship built on thorough service and strategic expertise. From initial geotechnical assessments to flood risk analysis and custom substation design, we’ve crafted a seamless experience at every stage — making this partnership a key driver of solar innovation in the country.  To date, Beca has contributed to Lodestone’s first nine projects, of which three are now operational, one is under construction, and the other five are in the planning stages.  The certified renewable energy generated by the first three farms is capable of powering 25,000 homes, making a meaningful contribution towards New Zealand's zero-carbon future.

Our partnership with Lodestone Energy started by building a strong connection, which has since grown into collaborations on nine projects to date. Beca’s extensive experience in solar development and financing was key in building trust, guiding Lodestone’s long-term strategy and aligning our work with their broader vision for portfolio-wide solar development. To ensure smooth communication and project continuity, we adopted a dedicated team approach. Rather than handing off tasks to separate teams, we delivered an integrated experience — including high-voltage engineering, connection studies, geotechnical assessments, flood risk assessments and cadastral surveys — all tailored to Lodestone’s project goals.

Lodestone’s projects span from Kaitaia in the far North to the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island. New Zealand’s unique geography and regulatory landscape make Beca’s extensive, hyper-local office network and expertise essential. Each project site taps into local talent and resources specific to its region, creating robust project due diligence and design that support Lodestone’s solar developments across diverse terrains and regulatory environments. With a clear, solar-focused and financing perspective on every engineering report, we address Lodestone’s needs while meeting the requirements of all stakeholders. For solar developers like Lodestone who often rely on project and corporate funding from top international financial institutions, Beca’s ability to quantify risks and clearly communicate them has been vital to enabling financial closings.
  Source: Lodestone Energy. The now commissioned Kohira Solar Farm under construction in 2023.

For Lodestone’s upcoming South Island projects like the Dunsandel and Haldon Station Solar Farms, we go beyond standard services, delivering specialised substation designs that integrate these substantial solar developments into the power grid. The scale of these projects (some now reaching over 200MW DC built on sites over 300ha) underscores the direction of the industry and the strength of our partnership, as Lodestone increasingly entrusts Beca with critical-value work. Our strong relationships with local power providers and grid operators — such as Orion, PowerCo and Transpower — help Lodestone to secure grid compliance and leverage our network to guide the project through moments when high connection risk items arise. Lodestone values the quality of our delivery and the solid foundation we provide for a long-term partnership, which we back by knowledge and resources precisely adapted to their needs.

Each Lodestone project brings unique challenges, and our integrated approach helps us meet them with resilience and innovation. While some of these solar farms are still in the early stages, the wider Beca team is ready to support Lodestone through construction and commissioning well into decades of successful operation of the solar farms. 

Looking ahead, we’re also prepared to assist with future advancements, such as battery integration, to enhance energy storage. With over a century of experience in New Zealand and a commitment to the next hundred years, we’re proud to be on this journey with Lodestone — building a sustainable, client-focused model that drives the future of energy.