Ian Hore-Lacy, Director of Public Communications, World Nuclear Association. Speech to the National Power Conference, Auckland.
March 4, 2005
Read the full speech >>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meridian Energy CEO Keith Turner's Speech to the National Power Conference, Auckland.
March 3, 2005
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top Scientist Calls For Radical Technology To Extract Carbon Dioxide From The Air By Chris Mole - Associate Editor
December 15, 2004
A leading climate scientist believes the only way to avert global warming is to extract carbon dioxide directly from the air and store it underground. Prof Wallace Broecker of Columbia University, New York, believes the Kyoto Protocol won’t work, even if signatory countries succeed in cutting back CO2 emissions, because developing countries such as China and India – which are not parties to Kyoto – will keep increasing emissions. More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oil Security Report Released for Comment
Media Statement from Hon Pete Hodgson, Minister of Energy
14 December 2004
Energy Minister, Pete Hodgson, today released a report outlining options for improving New Zealand's oil security. Comments are welcomed on the report by 2 February 2005.
The report, commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Development, found that approximately 500,000 tonnes of additional storage is required to ensure New Zealand is fully compliant with its obligation as a member of the International Energy Agency (IEA) to hold 90 days of oil stocks. Read More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASB Bank/Main Report Regional Economic Scoreboard - 3rd Quarter 2004
Analysis of NZ's regional economies for the 3rd quarter of 2004
Download now as PDF file
18th November, 2004
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Climate Change and business: Hon Pete Hodgson - Address to Climate Change & Business, The Australia – New Zealand Conference and Trade Expo 2004, Sky City Convention Centre, Auckland.
5th November 2004
Good morning. I am delighted that this conference is taking place. I am delighted also to have a chance to make a few remarks.
I convene a group of Ministers responsible for developing climate change policy and it has been one of my more challenging tasks for two main reasons.
First, the issues of climate change seem to cross almost every area of endeavour, almost all areas of government policy and certainly every jurisdictional boundary that exists. It is a pervasive area of policy and I'm not yet sure that I know where its outer perimeter lies. More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hodgson And Business Clash After Report Shows Big Kyoto Liability Looming For NZ Chris Mole - Associate Editor
6th October 2004
A new report estimates the Kyoto Protocol will cost NZ between $9bn and $14bn during the next 20 years, providing fresh ammunition for the anti-Kyoto lobby. The analysis, by Castalia Strategic Advisors, concludes the Govt will have to buy emissions credits from other countries to meet its Kyoto targets during the first 4 commitment periods between 2008 and 2027. It adds the contingent liability is so large it should be shown in the Govt’s financial statements. More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Key Points In The Kyoto Protocol - By The Associated Press
September 30, 2004
Key points about Kyoto Protocol:
* Obliges industrialized countries, as group, to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by 5.2 percent from 1990 level by 2012. Gases believed to trap heat in atmosphere, warming Earth.
* Nations may offset emission requirements by properly managing forests and farmlands that absorb carbon dioxide. Can earn further credits by helping developing countries cut emissions. More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Global Warming Battle Lines Drawn Up As Sceptics Pour Cold Water On Kyoto Chris Mole - Associate Editor
22nd September 2004
A battle is heating up between sceptics of global warming and those who fear it’s the most serious problem facing humanity. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a passionate supporter of the Kyoto Protocol, is vowing to force international action to reduce greenhouse gases and has laid out a 3-point strategy to tackle a phenomenon he believes could become “irreversible in its destructive power.” More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Future Looks Bright For Solar Industry As Hodgson Hints At Regulation
Chris Mole - Associate Editor
15th September 2004
Solar energy looks set to come out of the shadows, opening up huge opportunities for NZ companies making or importing solar systems.
Energy Minister Pete Hodgson has predicted solar panels will be compulsory in all new homes within 3 years. Hodgson says such regulations are not on his immediate agenda but he believes they’re just around the corner, along with mandatory double-glazing in colder parts of the country, as part of the Govt’s energy-saving strategy. About 25,000 new homes are built annually in NZ, of which fewer than 10% were fitted with solar panels last year.
This means a potential 10-fold increase in the number of solar systems fitted annually – a prospect to warm the hearts of those in the industry who have been struggling for years to get recognition for the technology. More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Govt’s Energy Saving Targets Slated As Unrealistic In New Report
Chris Mole - Associate Editor
September 8, 2004
A new report suggests the Govt is too optimistic in its energy efficiency targets and is thus seriously underestimating growth in energy demand in the next 20 years. The study facilitated by the NZ Business Council for Sustainable Development with the country’s 9 major energy providers presents their assumptions about how the energy market will develop. It concludes electricity demand will rise significantly faster than forecast in the Ministry of Economic Development’s “NZ Energy Outlook to 2005.”
More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pete Hodgson - Address to the Gas Industry Reform Conference 2004
August 30, 2004, Crowne Plaza, Auckland
Thank you for the invitation to address you at this conference today.
This has been a year of great change for the gas industry. Firstly, the redetermination of Maui contracts has been concluded, and I'd like to once again thank all those involved. Pohokura has been marketed and contracts are in place for Kupe. We've also announced incentives to further stimulate petroleum exploration. I'm delighted to see that the current year to date figures for currently operational exploration permits are the highest for several years. As the indicated 13 metre oil column discovery off Taranaki suggests, we can be optimistic that this increased level of activity will bear fruit. More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mighty River Plans For Marsden B "Pragmatic Trade Off Between Environment And Economy" Chris Mole - Associate Editor
August 25, 2004
Mighty River Power’s plan to fire its mothballed Marsden B station with coal will be a test for the revamped Resource Management Act, with environmentalists vowing to oppose the project.
Mighty River intends to seek resource consents for a coal-fired station with a generating capacity of up to 320MW. The project will cost more than $100m and involves refitting the existing Marsden B plant, which has sat idle since being built in the 1970s to run on oil.
Mighty River Chief Executive Doug Heffernan says the company hopes to have the coal-fired plant operating by 2008 or 2009, subject to getting resource consents. Heffernan is aware of environmental opposition but stresses: “Trade-offs between environmental, economic and social well being and the cost of providing that generation need to be made.” More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Huge Potential In Offshore Taranaki Oil Fields
August 25, 2004
More than $5bn worth of oil may lie beneath the Pateke-2, Amokura, Tui and Maari wells off Taranaki. Pateke-2, owned by a consortium headed by NZ Oil and Gas, is the latest well to strike oil, with a 13m column found earlier this month.
NZOG believes the Tui well may hold 11m to 16m barrels of oil – with the nearby Amokura and Pateke wells understood to be of similar size, and which appear to be part of the same oil reservoir. This means the three wells between them have potential to produce 30m to 45m barrels of oil. More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electricity demand exceeding Govt projections - consultant
August 20, 2004
NZ's electricity demand is already 6 per cent higher than the Government estimates, a new study by energy consultant Bryan Leyland says.
In a report released yesterday, Leyland said the Government no longer had accurate figures on power demand since it stopped collecting statistics more than 10 years ago. Download Leyland's report as a PDF (right click and "save target as")
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Huntly E3P Station Will Be State-Of-The-Art
August 18, 2004
Genesis Energy’s planned E3P (Energy Efficiency Enhancement Project) at Huntly will generate 385MW – enough power to meet three years of national demand growth.
The combined-cycle gas turbine plant will employ cutting-edge technology, using a gas turbine initially, then recycling what would otherwise be waste heat to generate more electricity with a steam turbine.
This is regarded as the most advanced system for converting gas into electricity. It will make E3P about 50% more efficient than the existing Huntly power station. The plant already has the necessary resource consents, and construction is expected to start in a few weeks, with commissioning scheduled for late 2006. More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NZ Regional Economic Scoreboard - 2nd Quarter 2004
Analysis of NZ's regional economies for the 2nd quarter of 2004
Download now as PDF file
August 20, 2004
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commissioner Incensed At Govt Deal To “Share Risk” With Genesis In Huntly Plant Chris Mole - Associate Editor
August 18, 2004
There are signs of a rift developing between Electricity Commissioner Roy Hemmingway and the Govt after a confidential deal, which will see taxpayers partially underwrite Genesis Energy’s $520m “E3P” combined-cycle gas turbine power station at Huntly.
Hemmingway told NZ Energy & Environment Business Week he’s concerned at the implications for the electricity market if the Govt appears to favour a state-owned company.
He fears it will discourage new private investment in the electricity sector. “Any time the Govt intervenes in the market it creates a situation where it’s more difficult to assure private investors the market will operate neutrally.” Hemmingway adds: “I’ve expressed my displeasure to (Pete Hodgson)”. More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004 Hopkins Lecture
Pete Hodgson looks forward to tomorrow's energy challenges
August 4, 2004 - Limes Room, Christchurch Town Hall, Christchurch
Good evening. Firstly, I'd like to thank Robert Park, Chair of the Hopkins Lecture Trust and Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Canterbury. I know a little about the history of this lecture series, and looking back over previous speakers, feel privileged to follow in some very esteemed footsteps.
You have asked me to speak on Energy Planning for New Zealand. Was this out of a sense of mischief? The reason I ask is that some say we don't have any, others say we do. My truth is we now have some, and that follows a history where we used to have lots, followed by none at all.
To use other words we went from central planning to free market and now to managed market. The pendulum swung wildly and is now settling. More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Court Allows Gold Mining In Coromandel – But Battle With Environmentalists Not Over Chris Mole - Associate Editor
August 11, 2004
The Environment Court has re-opened the door to gold mining in the Coromandel, quashing the local council’s move to ban it and igniting a fresh battle with environmentalists who are vowing to fight the decision. There’s an estimated $10bn worth of gold beneath the ground in the Coromandel district.
The Court decision means mining companies will be able to seek resource consents to dig for gold, which will become a discretionary activity. But the mining industry expects several more years’ delay before any exploration for gold will start, due to a condition in the Court ruling requiring the industry, the District Council and environmentalists to thrash out new rules for mining in the District Plan. More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Huge Energy Potential In Wood Waste
August 11, 2004
The Govt is turning its attention to the vast amount of wood waste generated by NZ forests, which potentially could fuel power stations and generate more than 10% of the country’s total energy.
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) has commissioned a study into the potential of wood waste, in partnership with the Bioenergy Association, which estimates waste from plantation forests alone is between 4m and 6m tonnes annually.
With each kg of wood waste capable of producing 9MJ of energy, this equates to 45PJ a year. NZ’s total energy demand is around 470PJ. EECA expert John Stewart, who is working full-time to assess the energy potential of wood waste, believes the biggest obstacle to harnessing the resource is the cost of transporting waste from forests to the site of a generation plant. More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hydro Potential Tantalises Power Companies - But Govt Sends Mixed Messages Chris Mole - Associate Editor
August 4, 2004
NZ has about 2500MW of untapped hydro-generation potential – enough to meet the country’s anticipated needs for the next decade and beyond. A report for the Ministry of Economic Development has identified 65 hydro projects already on the drawing board, which could potentially be built in the next 20 years.
Wellington consultants East Harbour Management Services presented the report in January but it only came to public attention a few days ago when Green Party leader Jeanette Fitzsimons expressed concerns about its environmental implications. Fitzsimons believes the report is “designed to help fast-track proposals under the national-importance criteria in the RMA.” More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Report Questions Govt’s Optimism On Kyoto Credits
August 4, 2004
An independent report challenges the Govt’s belief NZ will have a surplus of carbon credits to sell during the first stage of the Kyoto Protocol. NZ Energy & Environment Business Week reported two weeks ago NZ stands to gain at least $300m from trading emissions credits between 2008 and 2012, thanks to the country’s forests, which act as carbon sinks.
This was based on official figures from the NZ Climate Change Office. But a report by Castalia Strategic Advisors claims the Govt is far too optimistic in its forestry projections and is also under-estimating emissions from agriculture and energy generation in its official figures. More ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kiwi Scientists Cool On Theory Sunspots Are Causing Global Warming
Chris Mole - Associate Editor
July 28, 2004
NZ climate change experts are sceptical of a new study suggesting global warming is due to increasing radiation from the Sun, rather than man-made greenhouse gases.
A team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Gottingen, Germany, has studied sunspot data going back several centuries and concludes the Sun is burning more brightly than at any time in the past 1000 years. The study shows a close link between sunspot activity and changes in the Earth’s temperature.
Dr Sami Solanki, who led the research, says: “The Sun has been at its strongest over the past 60 years and may now be affecting global temperatures.” More ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emissions Trading Has Multi-Million Dollar Potential For NZ During First Kyoto Period Chris Mole - Associate Editor
July 21, 2004
The Govt is sitting on a Kyoto goldmine worth conservatively at least $300m between 2008 and 2012, thanks to NZ’s large area of forests planted since 1990, which gain credits as carbon sinks.
The Climate Change Office has just released a report looking at greenhouse emissions, which predicts NZ will be up to 15% below its emissions target at the end of the first five-year commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, in 2012. This will be achieved despite a steady increase in emissions from agriculture, electricity generation and transport – because the forests will more than soak up the surplus. More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More Tradeable Carbon Credits On Offer
July 21, 2004
The Govt is offering more than $60m worth of new carbon credits to businesses able to help reduce NZ’s greenhouse emissions during the first stage of the Kyoto Protocol from 2008 to 2012. Renewable electricity generation projects are likely to be strong contenders for the new round of 6m emissions units, which go up for tender in late August. But Climate Change Minister Pete Hodgson says the net is being cast wider than in the first round of 4m units last year, making it easier for sectors such as agriculture, forestry and transport to get a share.
The units are awarded only to projects which would not otherwise be commercially-viable. Credits are tradeable on the international market and an indication of their value was established last December when Meridian Energy’s Te Apiti wind farm - one of two early projects the Govt supported - sold its emission units to the Netherlands Govt for an average of $10.50 each. This was the first international sale of NZ emission units. More ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Environmental Groups Single Out Dairy Farmers And Regional Councils Over Dirty Streams Chris Mole - Associate Editor
July 14, 2004
NZ’s dairy industry is under fire again for polluting rivers and streams, after a new study showing almost 95% of the country’s lowland waterways have unacceptably high levels of faecal bacteria. Environmental groups are pointing the finger at dairy farmers as the chief culprits. And the Ecologic Foundation goes further, accusing Regional Councils of being accomplices in the crime, by being too soft on farmers’ polluting activities.
Ecologic Foundation Executive Director Guy Salmon believes a Clean Streams Accord signed last year by diary giant Fonterra, with MAF, the Ministry for the Environment and local Govt, committing farmers to fence off 90% of their streams from stock by 2012, goes nowhere near far enough towards tackling the problem. More ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exciting Potential In Taranaki Gas Field
July 14, 2004
Genesis Power’s $15m investment in the Cardiff-2 gas field in Taranaki has got the thumbs-up from energy analyst Chris Stone, who believes it’s the most exciting onshore gas prospect in NZ at present. Genesis has finalised a deal with Austral Pacific to fund an initial Cardiff-2 well, just south of Stratford, in a field which may hold up to 1000PJ of gas - more than a quarter the size of Maui. This would be worth an estimated $4bn to $6bn if gas prices rise as projected during the next few years.
More ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How Much Oil Does The World Really Have Left?
July 7, 2004
Recent volatility in oil price and political instability in the Middle East have prompted fresh speculation about the long-term viability of a world economy based so heavily on oil. Pessimists claim world oil supplies will start to dwindle in as little as 5 years while optimists believe we have another 30 years before supplies reach their peak.
Experts generally agree the total amount of recoverable oil on the planet is around 2 trillion barrels, of which we have consumed almost 1 trillion - so roughly half the oil is gone. The rest will last another 40 years at current consumption rates. But consumption will not stay at current rates. It continues to rise steadily - from 54m barrels a day in 1986 to 82m barrels today, and with China and other Third World economies expanding rapidly, demand is expected to reach 120m barrels a day by 2025. More ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kiwi Researchers On Verge Of International Breakthrough In Hydrogen Technology Chris Mole - Associate Editor
July 7, 2004
NZ scientists are poised to launch the world’s first plant to turn coal into electricity via a hydrogen fuel cell. It’s the culmination of two years’ work by researchers from CRL Energy and Industrial Research Ltd (IRL), supported by a $6m investment from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST), with input from Solid Energy and the Coal Association.
The system uses a “coal gasification” process, in which coal is heated and mixed with steam to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide, or “syngas,” which is then filtered to create pure hydrogen. A key part of the work focuses on the best methods of purifying hydrogen to maximise its effectiveness in electricity generation. More ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Environmentalists Vow To Stop Wairau Hydro Scheme, In Project Aqua- Style Campaign Chris Mole - Associate Editor
June 30, 2004
TrustPower is bracing itself for a long, expensive fight with environmentalists over its proposed $240m hydro scheme on the Wairau River in Marlborough. In what is shaping up as another Project Aqua-style campaign, a collection of environmental groups have launched “Save the Wairau” and have called on the 6000-plus people who made submissions against Project Aqua to join them in trying to stop the Wairau scheme also. More ....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NZ Not Alone In Energy Supply Concerns
June 30, 2004
NZ’s electricity supply worries are being echoed around the world, highlighting a lack of clarity internationally on who is responsible for securing electricity supply. A report by business consultancy Cap Gemini shows concern about how deregulation is working and whether, in its current form, it will deliver the kind of security required to support economic and social growth.
The report is based on interviews with 130 senior utilities executives worldwide, including representatives of all of NZ’s major gas and electricity companies. More ....
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NZ Consortium Throws Weight Behind Aust Govt’s Commitment To Carbon Capture Research Chris Mole - Associate Editor
June 23, 2004
A consortium of three NZ companies is to invest $1.75b in research into carbon capture or geo-sequestration, a controversial process of capturing CO2 emissions from coal-fired power stations and storing them underground.
Solid Energy, Genesis Energy, and Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) will link up with a 7-year Aust research programme, funded 50% by the Aust Govt and backed by several multi-national oil and energy companies. The NZ consortium is a swift response to the Howard Govt’s announcement last week it will invest $100m over four years to research geo-sequestration, as part of a commitment to keep generating electricity from coal in the foreseeable future. More ....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Farmers Battle Environment Canterbury Over Water Cuts
June 23, 2004
More than 1000 Mid Canterbury farmers claim their livelihoods are under threat by Environment Canterbury’s plan to slash stock water consumption by 80% - and they’re lacing up their boxing gloves for a fight. The rich farming district around Ashburton relies on 3600km of man-made water races, fed by the Ashburton River, to supply drinking water for sheep and cattle on the drought-prone plains. More ....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coasters Threaten To Ditch Labour Over Dobson Hydro Plan Anger Over Scheme Rejection Chris Mole - Associate Editor
June 16, 2004
The Govt faces a backlash from West Coast voters over its refusal to reconsider TrustPowers proposed Dobson hydro station near Greymouth. Buller Mayor Pat ODea believes the Govts stance on the Dobson scheme may be the last straw for many voters in the traditional Labour stronghold, who feel theyre "not getting a fair go." More ....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'After Aqua: NZ's electricity future' - speech by Hon Pete Hodgson, Energy Minister, to National Power NZ 2004 conference, Hilton Hotel, Auckland
March 31, 2004
Read the speech here >>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electricity Commission announces appointments
March 29, 2004
Read more here >>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meridian Energy has established a discussion forum on electricity supply and demand issues in New Zealand called the Electricity Future Forum website ... www.eff.co.nz. Forums include: options for generation, NZ generation, reserve generation and security of supply, distribution and investment, constraints and costs, trends etc.
back to top
You can get many more stories like these every week by subscribing.
See what our readers think of our weekly newsletter
Subscribe Now
|
