The network is under pressure. The innovation isn't coming from the network.

Jonathan Milne's piece in Newsroom this week is worth your time. So is Kirsty Merriman's LinkedIn post. Together they tell the same story from different angles.

Vector pays out more in dividends than it earns in net profit. Its developer capital contribution per new connection is $25,840. Orion's is $2,087. The Commerce Commission is signing off large lines charge increases under DPP4 to fund catch up investment. Those costs get pushed through to consumers and businesses.

That's it. That's the plan.

Peak demand is one of the most misunderstood and often most expensive components of commercial energy use.

While many businesses focus on how much energy they consume, the reality is that cost is increasingly influenced by when and how that energy is used.

Across New Zealand, evolving network pricing structures mean that short periods of high demand can drive a disproportionate share of total electricity costs.

Understanding this dynamic is critical.

A strong shift is underway in how battery energy systems are being considered in New Zealand — increasingly driven by real data and real capability. With EECA funding applications now open, the market is very much in motion.

Europe added 35 GW of new battery storage in 2024 — more than four times New Zealand’s entire winter peak demand. Europe is obviously a bigger market, but the pace is the signal. It shows where distribution-level infrastructure is moving, fast.

ASKA has submitted a formal response to the Electricity Authority’s consultation on distribution connection pricing and obligations