Contact Energy

What Contact Energy does

Contact Energy Limited is a New Zealand-domiciled, NZX-listed integrated energy generator and retailer (ticker CEN) serving over 650,000 customer connections across residential, small business, and energy-intensive commercial segments. Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Wellington, the company produces wholesale electricity from a diversified portfolio spanning geothermal (Wairākei, Te Mihi, Ohaaki, Poihipi Road, Te Huka Binary, and the newly commissioned 174 MW Tauhara station), hydroelectric (Clyde 432 MW, Roxburgh, Hāwea), and thermal peaking assets (Whirinaki, Stratford), with generation more than 90% renewable in FY23. Beyond generation, Contact retails electricity, natural gas, LPG (via subsidiary Rockgas), broadband, and mobile services directly to consumers, supported by self-serve digital channels (website, two dedicated mobile apps, WhatsApp/Messenger support) and customer service centers across the country.

The company's technology stack includes the proprietary Māpuna digital platform for data-driven asset management across 669 geothermal wells, grid-scale battery storage through a Tesla Megapack partnership (100 MW at NZ Steel's Glenbrook site, scaling to 200 MW), and the 150 MW Kōwhai Park solar joint venture with Lightsource bp at Christchurch Airport. Contact's commercial strategy pairs smart meter-enabled time-of-use retail plans (Good Charge for EV owners, Good Plans with free off-peak power) with bundled broadband/mobile offers to drive multi-product adoption, complemented by an EV charging partnership with bp offering up to 70% off charging for Contact customers.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring subscription-based retail contracts (electricity, gas, broadband, mobile) plus wholesale electricity sales into the NZ market; EBITDAF guidance of NZ$995M for FY2026 implies revenue in the multi-billion NZD range. The business is currently in a heavy capital deployment phase under the Contact31 strategy, funded by a combination of operating cash flow, a NZ$525M equity raise (February 2026), a €500M green notes issuance (November 2025), and proceeds integration from the NZ$1.86B Manawa Energy acquisition completed July 2025, with Infratil holding a 14.3% strategic stake as of October 2025.

Name

Contact Energy

Legal name

Contact Energy Limited

Website

https://contact.co.nz

Company type

Public

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Contact Energy is a New Zealand integrated energy generator and retailer serving over 650,000 customer connections with electricity, gas, broadband, and mobile, operating geothermal, hydro, solar, and battery storage assets across the country.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Energy and Utilities

NAICS

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211), Geothermal Electric Power Generation (221116), Hydroelectric Power Generation (221111), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

C&I Retail Electricity Supply (Full-Service/Load-Serving) (EUAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Congestion Management & Financial Transmission Rights (FTR/CRR, Hedging) (EUAMAMAH), Energy Storage Systems (BESS, Flywheels, Batteries) (HDABAKAC), Capacity Markets & Resource Adequacy (ICAP/UCAP, CRM) (EUAFALAC)

Keywords

• Electricity generation
• Energy retail
• Renewable energy
• Residential utilities
• Telecommunications services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Electricity Retail: Contact Energy generates revenue through retail electricity supply to over 650,000 customer connections across New Zealand, offering various pricing plans including time-of-use options.
2. Gas Retail: Retail gas supply to residential and business customers as part of bundled energy offerings.
3. Broadband Services: Residential broadband services offered as an add-on to electricity plans, including fiber connections with promotional incentives for existing electricity customers.
4. Mobile Services: Mobile phone plans offered as bundled services with electricity accounts, providing recurring revenue from telecommunications services.
5. Wholesale Electricity Generation: Large-scale electricity generation from geothermal, hydroelectric, and thermal assets sold into the New Zealand electricity market.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Contact Energy generates and retails electricity, natural gas, LPG, broadband internet, and mobile phone services to over 650,000 customer connections across New Zealand. The company operates a diversified generation portfolio including geothermal, hydroelectric, and thermal power stations, and offers bundled utility services with time-of-use pricing plans for residential and business customers.

Product overview

Contact Energy is a New Zealand energy retailer offering a bundled product portfolio of electricity, natural gas, broadband internet, and mobile phone services primarily for residential customers. The company also operates significant renewable generation assets including geothermal (Wairākei, Te Mihi, Ohaaki, Poihipi Road, Te Huka, Tauhara) and hydroelectric (Clyde, Roxburgh, Hāwea) power stations. Product offerings include time-of-use pricing plans like Good Charge (for EV charging) and Good Plans (offering free/discounted off-peak power), a mobile app and energy app for account management, and EV charging partnerships with bp charge. The company's Contact31 strategy focuses on expanding renewable energy through solar farms (Kōwhai Park), battery storage (Glenbrook Ohurua Battery), and geothermal development (Te Mihi Stage 2).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Contact Mobile: Mobile telecommunications service offering pay-monthly plans (Small 5GB, Medium 20GB, Large 75GB) with a dedicated Contact Mobile app for account management, usage tracking, and bill access.

Products and services

• Contact Energy Electricity Electricity supply service for residential and business customers across New Zealand with various pricing plans including time-of-use options. Requires smart meter for advanced plans.
• Contact Energy Gas Natural gas supply service for residential and business customers across New Zealand.
• Contact Broadband Internet service provider offering broadband plans for residential customers, available as a bundled service with electricity plans.
• Contact Mobile Mobile phone service provider offering pay monthly plans with data options (Small 5GB, Medium 20GB, Large 75GB), available as a bundled service with electricity accounts.
• Contact LPG (Rockgas) Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply and distribution service, including reticulated LPG, operated through wholly-owned subsidiary Rockgas.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% renewable generation achieved in FY23
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lightsource bpcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 September 2024Joint venture partnership for Kōwhai Park 150MW solar farm at Christchurch Airport. Lightsource bp provides solar development expertise while Contact Energy provides energy retail infrastructure. Project completed June 2026 with approximately 300,000 panels across 230-hectare site.
• TeslacoreTechnology or Integration · 11 September 2024Partnership for Glenbrook-Ohurua battery energy storage systems. Tesla provides Megapack 2 XL battery technology for 100MW and 200MW grid-scale batteries at New Zealand Steel's Glenbrook site. First 100MW battery completed in May 2026 under budget and on time.
• bp ChargecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 September 2024EV charging partnership offering Contact customers up to 70% off charging on bp's network of EV chargers in New Zealand, plus free monthly subscription. Provides integrated EV charging solution for residential customers.
• Christchurch International Airport LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 September 2024Landowner partner for Kōwhai Park solar farm development on airport campus. Project developed on land owned by Christchurch International Airport Limited and Environment Canterbury.
• Environment CanterburyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 September 2024Regional council co-landowner for Kōwhai Park solar farm site. Development partner in renewable energy infrastructure on regional land.
• ChintecminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 11 September 2024Construction contractor for Kōwhai Park solar farm project, handling solar panel installation across the 230-hectare site.
• VentiaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 11 September 2024Infrastructure partner managing network connection infrastructure for Kōwhai Park solar farm, enabling grid integration of the 150MW facility.
• New Zealand SteelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 September 2024Host company for Glenbrook-Ohurua battery storage systems on their Glenbrook site in South Auckland. Provides land and infrastructure for grid-scale battery installation.
• Manawa EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 September 2024Acquired company in NZ$1.86 billion deal completed July 2025. Acquisition expanded Contact Energy's renewable generation capacity and development pipeline, subject to regulatory approval.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Manawa Energy: NZ renewable generator (predominantly hydro) recently acquired by Contact Energy; previously an independent peer with overlapping generation footprint and development pipeline.
• Mercury NZ: NZ-listed gentailer with geothermal and hydro generation plus electricity retail, directly comparable in generation mix, retail scale, and listed NZ market structure to Contact Energy.
• Genesis Energy: NZ state-linked gentailer with hydro, thermal (Huntly), and wind generation alongside retail electricity and gas; competes head-to-head with Contact in both wholesale generation and retail.
• Trustpower: NZ energy retailer and small-scale generator with multi-utility bundles (electricity, gas, broadband, mobile) very similar to Contact's bundled product strategy.
• Meridian Energy: NZ's largest renewable generator (hydro and wind) and a major electricity retailer; directly comparable in scale, generation portfolio, and retail offering to Contact.

Regional players

• Origin Energy: Australian integrated electricity generator and retailer with renewable portfolio; comparable business model (generation + retail) but operates in Australia rather than NZ.

Broad incumbents

• Vector Limited: NZ-listed infrastructure operator with electricity and gas distribution networks plus metering and EV charging; overlaps with Contact on distribution-adjacent and EV infrastructure themes.
• Z Energy: NZ fuel retailer and bitumen supplier owned by Ampol; provides reference for downstream energy retail in NZ but does not overlap in electricity generation.

Others

• Infratil: NZ-based infrastructure investor holding a 14.3% stake in Contact; comparable exposure to NZ renewables and broadband (Vocus) but operates as an investment vehicle rather than a competitor.
• Lightsource bp: Global solar developer partnered with Contact on Kōwhai Park; not a competitor but a direct counterparty in renewable project development, useful for comparable solar project economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ContactEnergy
• Facebookfacebook.com/contactenergy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/contact-energy-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/contact_energy
• Xx.com/contactenergy

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Contact Energy