Meridian Energy is progressing the Manapouri Growth Project (MAN900), aiming to increase the station's output capability to 900 MW and beyond. This project is critical to New Zealand's energy future as we see increasing demand for renewable energy and flexible MW capacity.

We plan to achieve a 900MW Manapouri Power Station through three phases of work; uprating units to 128MW, uprating 6 units to 131.5MW and uprating the Station to 900MW.

What we need/ What is in scope

As we gear up to develop a permanent, long-term solution with Transpower we need a strategic, technically capable and collaborative partner to support Meridian uprate Manapouri units. The selected provider will work closely with Meridian and interface with Transpower to ensure compliance, system stability, and optimal performance outcomes.

We're after a suitably qualified Power Systems Engineering Consultant with proven experience in fault ride-through studies. They'll bring a deep understanding of Transpower's Code obligations, protection systems, and decision-making processes. The Consultant will work as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to communicate complex technical issues clearly and effectively.

We are seeking a Consultant to provide technical support and strategic guidance across the areas below. Whilst the scope will evolve with time, Meridian can scope the immediate 3 months of work in greater detail for the Consultant.

Review and Analysis

- Review existing models, reports and protection studies to strategize next steps with the Meridian project team.

Technical Studies

- Conduct fault ride-through studies as required in PowerFactory, for different network cases and different unit configurations and output (e.g., 128MW per unit, 131.5 MW per unit and 900 MW station output).

- Perform reactive margin analysis and support the development of a reactive power runback scheme.

- Assess and propose updates to generator settings, transformer tap positions, and special protection schemes(SPS).

Strategic Support

- Provide input on Transpower's decision-making processes and Code compliance.

- Develop and support dispensation applications and/or connection upgrade frameworks.

- Closely collaborate with Meridian to align technical solutions with business goals and regulatory requirements.

Implementation Planning

- Support the design and commissioning of automated schemes (e.g. reactive power runback scheme, SPS).

- Assist in scenario planning and outage coordination.

Engagement

- Work proactively with Transpower, the Electricity Authority, and other stakeholders.

- Provide clear, pragmatic, and solution-oriented advice.

Flexibility

- Flexibility to scale involvement (e.g., 0.5-2 days/week with ramp-up/down options).

What we don't want/ What is out of scope:

The following is what we do not require (out of scope):

- Analysis of implausible or non-credible fault scenarios.

- Complex or unclear reporting that lacks actionable insights.

- Solutions that do not consider Meridian's operational constraints or strategic objectives.

- Redundant or duplicative studies already covered in existing report.