Wellington-headquartered Meridian yesterday said subsidiary Meridian Solutions had now commissioned the new 3.6MW cogeneration plant from two 1.8 MW gas-fired engines. A third 1.8MW diesel engine will supply back-up power in the case of a supply interruptions.
Meridian Solutions is responsible for supplying baseload heat and electricity, as well as standby power in the event of a grid or local network failure.
Auckland District Health Board facilities manager Paul Jepsen said the 20-year deal represented a good example of an innovative solution benefiting the hospital and the wider community.
“The new energy plant is consistent with the government's national energy conservation strategy which encourages ‘embedded generation’, reducing demand on the national grid and reducing the hospital’s reliance on the over-burdened national infrastructure,” Jepsen said.
The Auckland District Health Board saved NZ$2.3m with Meridian Solutions completely funding the project.
All three generators were manufactured in Germany by Deutz AG, and are housed in a new purpose-built building near the hospital’s existing energy facilities.
