New Zealand: Energy
Government keeps lid on Buller mining papers
22 Jun 2017
The Government is refusing to release briefing papers on proposed new coal mines on the Buller Plateau.
Tyre mountains will be turned into biofuels
22 Jun 2017
An Otaki company with a plan to turn mountains of waste tyres into biofuels says the key to success is processing them at multiple sites around the country.
World’s largest coal company to retire 37 mines
21 Jun 2017
The largest coal mining company in the world, Coal India, has announced plans to decommission a total of 37 mines which are no longer economically viable.
OCEAN OIL: Algae strain doubles fuel production
20 Jun 2017
Making biofuel from algae has just got a little bit easier - a newly engineered strain produces twice as much oil as its wild parent.
Solar power will kill coal much quicker than anyone thought
19 Jun 2017
Solar power is becoming cheap enough to push coal and even natural-gas plants out of business faster than previously forecast.
TOWER POWER: Another solar system is on the march
16 Jun 2017
Solar generation systems can now produce electricity and store it for hours, using solar tower power without any need for batteries.
Global demand for coal falls for second year in row
15 Jun 2017
Global demand for coal has fallen for the second consecutive year, according to a BP study, helped by the US and China burning less of the dirtiest fossil fuel.
Coal is dead, says world’s largest investment group
14 Jun 2017
BlackRock investment group, with $5 trillion in assets, is bullish on electric cars and renewables.
What biofutures need is America's Cup energy
13 Jun 2017
New Zealand could have a thriving biofutures industry, producing clean products from waste and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, if it put as much effort into addressing climate change as it puts into the America’s Cup yacht race, says the Bioenergy Association.
Costa Rica bids for world’s cleanest transport system
13 Jun 2017
Riding atop one of the world’s greenest electrical grids, Costa Rica is now aiming for the next logical step: having the cleanest transport system on the planet.
Farm waste could feed industry worth millions
12 Jun 2017
EDITORIAL | Queensland’s drive to develop a $100-million-a-year industry turning agricultural waste into bioproducts is exactly the type of thing New Zealand should be doing.
Coal India looks to diversify
9 Jun 2017
Coal India is looking to diversify its operations in the face of long-term uncertainty for coal because of the government’s thrust on renewable energy.
It's like taking nine million cars off the road
7 Jun 2017
More than 43 million voluntary carbon credits globally were retired last year – the equivalent of removing 9.3 million cars from the road, a new analysis says.
It's time for the oil industry to snuff out its flares
30 May 2017
The World Bank reckons the 16,000 flares worldwide produce around 350m tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, causing untold harm.
Jobs ahead for 24m renewable energy workers
30 May 2017
The number of people employed in the renewable energy sector across the globe could rise to 24 million by 2030.
Road transport killing our clean-energy benefits
29 May 2017
The climate benefits of New Zealand’s increasing use of renewable electricity generation are being wiped out by our love affair with road transport.
TUNNEL VISION: New energy lines up job for old mines
29 May 2017
Abandoned coal shafts could be turned into giant storage devices to hold vast amounts of renewable power.
World's largest floating solar platform just went on line
29 May 2017
The world's largest floating solar energy platform has has gone on line in China.
Drought brings drop in greenhouse gas emissions
26 May 2017
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions fell slightly in 2015 - but only because a drought forced dairy farmers to cut production.
Move over, Tesla, here come batteries made in Europe
24 May 2017
Battery-making gigafactories are about to arrive in Europe, challenging Tesla and opening the way for a quicker shift toward green power for both cars and utilities.
The new energy highway leads in one direction ... to the sun
23 May 2017
Humans consume 221 tonnes of coal, 1066 barrels of oil, and 93,000 metric cubes of natural gas per second.
Welcome to the Wild West world of deep-sea mining
23 May 2017
The International Seabed Authority is racing to draft regulations for the nascent deep-sea mining industry.
Sharing green energy tips good for cutting business costs
22 May 2017
Sharing energy-saving ideas such as using seawater pumps to heat buildings is helping big charities and businesses to cut costs while protecting the planet.
New Buller mines could emit CO2 of 3m cars
19 May 2017
Emissions resulting from potential new coal mines on the Buller plateau could put as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as another three million cars on New Zealand’s roads for the next 20 years, an environmental group warns.
UK nuclear industry faces Brexit fall-out
19 May 2017
Leaving the EU treaty that prevents radioactive waste falling into the wrong hands could prove costly for the UK nuclear industry.
World’s largest wind turbines go on line
19 May 2017
The largest wind turbines in the world have begun generating electricity off the coast of Liverpool.
Fossil fuel lobby could be forced to declare interests
18 May 2017
A push from developing countries to force fossil fuel lobbyists taking part in the Bonn climate talks to declare their conflicts of interest has won a significant battle against resistance from countries including New Zealand.
Indian coal plant gets $150m to sit idle
18 May 2017
An Indian coal-fired power plant is to be paid $150 million this financial year for generators that are sitting idle.
China (and others) pay for coal plants in Africa
17 May 2017
New coal plants in Africa are largely being paid for by China and developed countries that are turning away from the technology at home.
Vegan football club dines out on success
16 May 2017
Forest Green Rovers, a club based in Stroud, western England, and believed to be the first well-known “vegan” football club, hit the big time on Sunday after winning a Wembley play-off to reach the Football League in England for the first time.
SLIP SLINDING AWAY: Big Oil losing its grip on power
15 May 2017
With oil prices remaining low, hopes of combating climate change through emissions reduction are improving as the oil industry shrinks.
Europe opens door to Canada’s dirty oil
15 May 2017
Oil extracted from tar sands is far more polluting than conventional hydrocarbons. The EU’s decision to change the way it classifies the fuel is good news for Canadian exports and bad news for the environment.
Wood energy project start less than spectacular
12 May 2017
The Wood Energy South energy efficiency programme has prevented just 530 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions being released, Parliament has heard.
Indian solar power prices hit record low
12 May 2017
Wholesale solar power prices have reached another record low in India, faster than analysts predicted and further undercutting the price of fossil fuel-generated power in the country.
Problems with nuclear waste launch a gold rush
10 May 2017
Staggering sums of money involved in the long-term challenge of solving the world’s nuclear waste problems make it a booming business.
Germany’s weekend powered 85% by renewables
9 May 2017
Renewable energy sources – including wind and solar – provided the majority of Germany’s power over the weekend, generating more than 85 per cent of electricity on Sunday.
Our big houses bad for better insulation
8 May 2017
The benefits of better home insulation are being cancelled out by the trend toward bigger houses.
Spray on, printables next for the solar panel market
5 May 2017
Thin film technology is touted as a gamechanger for the solar panel market, but it’s not without drawbacks.
Coal price of $150 a tonne key to new Coast mine
3 May 2017
The Government is counting on a coking-coal price of $US150 a tonne in estimates about the economic benefits of proposed new mining on the Buller Plateau.
Clean energy now employs over 9.4 million
3 May 2017
More than 9.4 million people across the world are now employed in the renewable energy sector.
It takes only a few countries to kickstart a revolution
2 May 2017
In 2016, more renewable energy was added to the global grid than ever before, and at a lower cost. A global energy revolution is clearly under way.
Power plants must cut emissions under new EU rules
1 May 2017
POWER plants in the EU will have to cut the amount of toxic pollutants such as nitrogen oxides they emit under new rules approved by member states.
Is deep sea mining worth the risk?
28 Apr 2017
Scientists have discovered massive amounts of a rare metal called tellurium, a key element in cutting-edge solar technology.
UK acts to get gas out of the atmosphere
27 Apr 2017
The UK has launched a £8.6 million national research programme to investigate how to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, the first of its kind.
UK power generation achieves first coal-free day
26 Apr 2017
Friday was Britain’s first working day without coal power since the Industrial Revolution.
Scottish wind powers affordable housing
26 Apr 2017
Three wind turbines in Scotland are generating electricity for the national grid and helping to raise funds to build affordable homes in rural communities.
Energy Star rating loses its twinkle
21 Apr 2017
The Government is scrapping the Energy Star rating on home appliances.
Who wants to work with wind turbines? Plenty, it seems
21 Apr 2017
The fastest-growing occupation in the United States — by a long shot, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — is wind turbine technician.
Food carts get taste of solar
21 Apr 2017
New York’s thousands of food carts are generating carbon credits.
Fracking brings new oil boom to Alaska
20 Apr 2017
Despite opposition from environmental groups and President Obama’s 2016 ban on drilling in federal Arctic waters, exploration in Alaska has revealed massive new volumes of oil.
Green building council calls for clean energy policies
Mon 18 May 2026
The New Zealand Green Building Council has released its 2026 election manifesto calling for policies to reduce energy waste in buildings, lower household and business energy costs, and improve New Zealand’s energy security.
Greens condemn planned coal mine next to protected wetland
4 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party says a new plan for a coal mine and fertiliser plant next to an internationally significant wetland is “ecological vandalism and climate denial.”
Climate pollution static but NZ still on track for first emissions budget, says MfE
17 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is still on track to meet its first emissions budget, according to the Ministry for the Environment, despite the pace of emissions reductions slowing to a standstill.
NZ at risk of falling behind on EV transition
Fri 22 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An EV lobby group is warning that New Zealand is at a crossroads on transport electrification, with inconsistent policy settings and lagging charging infrastructure slowing uptake, while global adoption accelerates and fuel price shocks renew interest in electric vehicles.
Govt presses ahead with forestry rule changes despite opposition
14 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is pushing ahead with changes to commercial forestry rules despite most submitters opposing the proposals, with critics warning the reforms will weaken councils’ ability to manage erosion and forestry slash risks in vulnerable regions such as Tairāwhiti.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
