Meridian Energy has taken control of California-based Cleantech America Inc, a photovoltaic electricity producer with a contract to construct the state’s first “utility-scale” solar PV project under the California Public Utilities Commission’s Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) programme. The US move adds solar technology to Meridian’s portfolio for the first time and “will ultimately see us […]
Global oil giant ExxonMobil has seven weeks left to make the “drill or drop” commitment required under its exploration permit in the Great South Basin, regarded as one of the last potential “elephant-sized” fields for oil explorers in the world. If it decides to drill, at a cost possibly of more than $US100m, the well […]
• Contact cancels LNG terminal.
• Genesis cool on Rodney.
• Gas shortages for electricity by 2015.
The hardy perennial conundrum for gas-fired generations is back: where will the new gas come from? Both the Ministerial Electricity Market Review and Contact Energy, in its latest earnings result, have highlighted the gap that is emerging again between gas supply […]
State-owned Transpower has brought into operation a $70m upgrade of its computer system, from which it expects significant efficiency gains. Systems operations general manager Keiran Devine says the system which controls the national electricity grid computes 40m calculations a second to match energy supply to demand in 5-minute periods. It replaces one installed in 1996 […]
You could have heard a pin drop in the electricity sector when Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee released his much-awaited Ministerial Electricity Market Review. Private operators and SOEs immediately hunkered down to work out what they thought the whole thing meant. Here, in a nutshell, is what NZ Energy & Environment Business Week thinks it means […]
After the successful completion of the Maari development drilling programme, the Ensco 107 jack-up last week began drilling the Manaia-1 appraisal well to tap into a reservoir which is assessed to contain 57.8mmbbls. The Manaia field _is located about 10km south-west of the Maari field, and drilling is being undertaken as an extended reach well […]
The National and Labour parties are locked in negotiations to try to achieve a bi-partisan approach to an amended Emissions Trading Scheme, while the Govt is considering a fixed carbon price for the ETS and a restriction on the sale of NZ Units offshore. Global carbon markets-watcher Point Carbon News has published a members’ only […]
All eyes in the electricity industry are on this week’s release of the results of the Ministerial Review of electricity market arrangements. While there are likely to be parts of the review not yet finished, and it will give scenarios rather than concrete recommendations, there is already evidence emerging of careful thought given to ways […]
Basking in what it calls the “outstanding” performance of the offshore Tui area oilfields, listed NZ Oil and Gas with $174.8m in the bank has spent $10m to buy into the exploration of the untested Hoki prospect 150km off New Plymouth in the hope of tapping into a large oilfield. CEO David Salisbury says the […]
An aquaculture Technical Advisory Group led by former Speaker and Fisheries Minister Doug Kidd has until the end of next month to produce a report recommending legislative reforms to assist the development of the aquaculture industry. Environment Minister Nick Smith and Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley have appointed the seven-member group with a view to making […]
Max Bowden's
Business Sense
E-Newsletter
Your email address will not be shared with 3rd parties.
A Trans Tasman Briefing Paper - An Analysis of the Inner Workings of the New Zealand Bureaucracy
Just released. Available in both print and electronic format. Price reduction for Main Report Group subscribers.
ORDER NOW »Subscribe to NZ Energy & Environment Business Week and you will join the market leaders who regularly read our publication:
ABB 
Amalgamated Dairies Balance Agri-Nutrients Bell Gully Business Council for Sustainable Development Century Drilling & Energy Services Chapman Tripp Contact Energy CRL Crown Company Monitoring Electricity Commission Ellis Gould Embassy of Japan Envirowaste Services Formsteel Industries Genesis Energy Holcim Liquigas Ltd Masterfoods Maunsell Meridian Energy Methanex Mighty River Power Mitsui Motor Trade Association New Zealand Steel Ocean Harvest PEANZ Rockwell Automation Sealord Group Shell Solid Energy Telecom NZ Refining Co The Treasury The Warehouse Toyota Trustpower Vector Vodafone WWF NZ
