Meridian and NZAS agree to early end of demand response

Meridian Energy (NZX:MEL) announced that it has reached an agreement with New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Limited (NZAS) to shorten the current demand response period, targeting a completion date of August 11, 2025, instead of the original date of November 25, 2025. According to Meridian, NZAS will notify them if any changes occur to the completion date. The demand response option currently in place is Option 4, modified to 50MW from its normal 185MW. The change comes as New Zealand's hydro storage looks healthier than anticipated. Following the end of the program, Meridian will have the ability to call for demand response Option 3 (100MW) or Option 4 (185MW) from April 12, 2026. Additionally, they can call demand response Option 1 (25MW) no sooner than 60 days and Option 2 (50MW) no sooner than 90 days after the ramp-up finishes.