New Zealand: Energy
Listen to experts on hydrogen, Minister says
26 Mar 2021
Companies getting excited about using hydrogen as a major energy source need to listen to the warnings of experts, the Climate Minister says.
Small nuclear power plants no use in climate crisis
25 Mar 2021
Claims that a new generation of so-called advanced, safe and easier-to-build nuclear reactors (small nuclear power plants) will be vital to combat climate change are an illusion, and the idea should be abandoned, says a group of scientists.
NZ's largest wind farm in $3 billion sale
15 Mar 2021
Wind farm developer and operator Tilt Renewables is being split between New Zealand’s Mercury Energy and Australian investors in a $3 billion deal announced to sharemarkets in both countries this morning.
The price of coal weighs heavy on planetary health
12 Mar 2021
The true cost of fossil fuels could be a quarter of the world's' GDP, scientists say.
Fertiliser execs position ammonia as a battery for hydrogen
3 Mar 2021
Ammonia has until now been used chiefly in the fertiliser industry as a way to return nitrogen to the soil. But it also has potential in boosting renewables – both as a replacement for hydrogen in long-haul shipping and as a way of storing and transporting hydrogen.
Get rid of coal by 2030, Guterres tells nations
3 Mar 2021
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on wealthy nations to end coal use by 2030 so the world can meet its goals to curb global warming, urging G7 nations to make that commitment before or at a leaders' summit in June.
Beef & Lamb: Bring on the carbon credits
2 Mar 2021
The sheep-and-beef industry says a Government report recognising carbon storage on farms is significant – especially if it opens the door to collecting carbon credits from mature native forests.
Gas firms target industrial ‘clusters’ for hydrogen
25 Feb 2021
Gas companies in Europe and America are looking at using the existing gas network to serve industrial “clusters” of hydrogen users in sectors like chemicals, cement and steelmaking, adopting a “phased approach” endorsed by the European Commission.
Power generators quiet about emissions
24 Feb 2021
Electricity generator Mercury noted in its financial update yesterday that the ClimCom draft report is good news for the renewable electricity sector.
India’s energy policy is key to the planet’s future
23 Feb 2021
Here’s the bad news: Unless India opts for a totally new energy policy - a revolutionary switch to a clean future - the world has no chance of avoiding dangerous climate change.
Oil and gas get emojis, why not wind power?
19 Feb 2021
Scroll through all the emojis on your phone, and you’ll find a gas pump, an oil drum, and … zero sign of clean energy.
Europe pulls ahead in global hydrogen race
18 Feb 2021
Most of the world’s planned hydrogen projects and the biggest chunk of related investments this decade are expected to be in Europe, a new industry report says.
Genesis puts another fossil-fuel unit on standby
15 Feb 2021
Genesis Energy says it is advancing plans for more renewable electricity generation – but is also preparing to fire up an extra fossil-fuel turbine at Huntly this winter if needed.
Solar power’s future could soon be overshadowed
15 Feb 2021
As more households and industries have opted to harness the sun’s energy, a small but definite shadow is nagging at the many manufacturers who have put their faith in solar power’s future.
Bitcoin uses more energy than all of Argentina
15 Feb 2021
Bitcoin is a huge energy hog. And Tesla's recent announcement that it had bought $1.5 billion bitcoin — and will soon accept the cryptocurrency as payment for its cars — will only encourage more energy usage.
Shell expanding gas business despite net-zero pledge
12 Feb 2021
Shell has set new carbon emissions goals to become a net zero carbon energy company by 2050, but will continue to grow its gas business by more than 20 per cent in the next few years.
Denmark to build 'first energy island' in North Sea
11 Feb 2021
A project to build a giant island providing enough energy for three million households has been given the green light by Denmark's politicians.
Shell targets power trading and hydrogen
2 Feb 2021
Royal Dutch Shell is betting on its expertise in power trading and rapid growth in hydrogen and biofuels markets as it shifts away from oil, rather than joining rivals in a scramble for renewable power assets, company sources say.
BlackRock threatens to sell shares in worst climate polluters
27 Jan 2021
BlackRock, the world’s biggest investment fund manager, has threatened to sell shares in the worst corporate polluters in a bid to support the goal of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
Energy efficiency boosts jobs, says IEA
27 Jan 2021
Improving energy efficiency creates far more jobs than generating it, and at the same time provides a way out of the covid crisis by bringing prosperity.
Genesis says it will slash emissions
9 Dec 2020
The operator of the Huntly coal-and-gas-fired power station says it will cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.
Cutting emissions and making fertiliser from beer-and-chip waste
8 Dec 2020
The much-loved combination of beer and chips is being harnessed to tackle climate change.
Biogas study: could we be running on waste?
7 Dec 2020
Gas suppliers, users and consultants are joining forces to assess the potential to use biogas to power industry and homes.
Ammonia – a fuel of the future?
30 Nov 2020
Like hydrogen, ammonia can play a key role in decarbonising Europe’s heavy industry and transport. So why isn’t it grabbing the headlines in the same way?
Large slice of Kupe gas could be up for sale
27 Nov 2020
Genesis Energy – one of the country’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases – is considering selling its stake in the Kupe oil and gas field, freeing up money it could invest in renewable generation.
Western Europe cools on plans for nuclear power
27 Nov 2020
News that two more reactors in the United Kingdom are to shut down on safety grounds earlier than planned has capped a depressing month for nuclear power in Europe.
Gas, carbon capture key to emissions cut - BP
26 Nov 2020
By GAVIN EVANS | Natural gas, especially when combined with carbon capture use and storage, can play a critical role meeting the world’s net-zero carbon targets, BP economist Michael Cohen says.
Coal financing evaporates as countries go carbon-free
25 Nov 2020
Financing for coal projects is drying up at ever increasing rates as more countries target zero carbon emissions amid an energy transition sweeping the world, participants at Asia’s biggest gathering of the coal industry said on Tuesday.
Kiwi company uses Bitcoin to buy solar panels
24 Nov 2020
New Zealand’s latest and largest solar farm is being partially funded by cryptocurrency.
EU, UN-led pact commits oil and gas firms to tackle methane emissions
24 Nov 2020
Dozens of oil and gas companies have committed to report more accurately on and, ultimately, reduce emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane which is liable to leak from oilfields and pipelines.
Green-trolling to bring down Big Oil
20 Nov 2020
Mary Heglar has a “maniacal plan” to save the planet. It doesn’t involve shutting down pipelines or protesting in the streets. Heglar has simply been “trolling the shit out of fossil fuel companies” on social media.
Meridian looking good to carbon-averse Blackrock
12 Nov 2020
Blackrock has increased its stake in Meridian as part of its carbon-divestment strategy.
New fund helps businesses ditch coal and gas
12 Nov 2020
Businesses wanting to stop using coal and gas for heat can tap into a new $70 million fund.
No miracle energy sources to replace fossil fuels, says scientist
10 Nov 2020
Radical decarbonisation in line with the Paris Agreement means getting used to living in a world without abundant supplies of energy, ecologist Dr Mike Joy is warning.
Where should be we use hydrogen?
10 Nov 2020
Is hydrogen the lifeblood of a low-carbon future, or an over-hyped distraction from real solutions?
How 'geothermal anywhere' can cut our emissions
6 Nov 2020
Large-scale geothermal energy has long been constrained to volcanic areas where heat can easily be captured and turned into electricity. Today, breakthroughs in drilling techniques are opening new horizons for the technology, offering the prospect of “geothermal anywhere”.
'Liquid window' harnesses light and heat
6 Nov 2020
Rising demand for cooling and heating in commercial buildings has pushed up their carbon emissions - could temperature-sensitive windows help?
Shell's climate tweet goes badly wrong
4 Nov 2020
A climate poll on Twitter posted by Shell has backfired spectacularly, with the oil company accused of gaslighting the public.
New method to measure fossil-fuel emissions
3 Nov 2020
Millions of stacks and tailpipes in cities around the world send up 70 per cent of the carbon dioxide ejected into the atmosphere by human beings.
You've got cheap data, how about cheap power too?
3 Nov 2020
The iPhone transformed mobile phones in just 10 years. Could green energy see a similar revolution?
Ford and GM knew about climate change - and covered it up
30 Oct 2020
Exxon knew, Shell knew, coal knew — is it any surprise that top auto manufacturers knew, too?
How to boost the hydrogen market
30 Oct 2020
Step by step, hydrogen has worked its way into the heart of the energy transition: as a storage medium for renewable energy; a fuel of the future for ships and planes; and a replacement for fossil fuels in homes, power and industry.
World Bank branch backs coal megaproject
23 Oct 2020
The World Bank’s private lending branch is indirectly backing one of the world’s biggest new coal complexes, despite a new green policy.
We need to solve the dry-year problem, says Carr
20 Oct 2020
Electrification of more of the economy to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions will require a resolution to the risk posed by dry years to the hydro-electricity system, says Climate Change Commission chair Dr Rod Carr.
World makes haste too slowly on cutting energy use
19 Oct 2020
The world is dragging its feet on efforts to tackle the climate crisis by reducing its energy use, according to a global watchdog.
IEA outlines how world can reach net-zero emissions by 2050
14 Oct 2020
For the first time, the International Energy Agency has set out what would need to happen this decade to reach net-zero emissions globally by 2050.
Parker pushes back against pumped-hydro critics
12 Oct 2020
Environment and former climate and energy minister David Parker says he is backing investigations into a pumped-hydro scheme because it has the potential to slash the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Lines project first to try covid consent process
9 Oct 2020
A project that could form part of the Government’s pumped-hydro electricity scheme is the first to be considered by an expert panel set up under the Government’s covid-19 fast-tracking consenting process.
Nuclear power hinders fight against climate change
7 Oct 2020
Countries wishing to reduce carbon emissions should invest in renewables, abandoning any plans for nuclear power stations because they can no longer be considered a low-carbon option.
Green hydrogen could be cheap transformative fuel within a decade
6 Oct 2020
Chinese manufacturers have reported making systems to create hydrogen with renewable energy for up to 80 per cent less than official Australian estimates from just two years ago.
'Atrocious' and 'bizarre': experts slam Act Party's climate policy
Today 12:15pm
By Liz Kivi | The Act Party is promising to challenge New Zealand’s Paris Agreement climate target, while the coalition Government’s other minor partner, NZ First, also says it wants to reevaluate the country’s commitment to the international treaty.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
13 Aug 2025
New Zealand's proposed approach to methane emissions has again been attacked by international climate scientists, with a new study saying the attempt to redefine climate target-setting by livestock-exporting countries undermines the transition to a sustainable and equitable food system
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Air NZ declares surprisingly low SAF prices
Today 12:15pm
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand is able to source sustainable aviation fuel at between 1.5 and 2.5 times the price of conventional fossil fuels used for flying, all sourced from the US.
Certainty crucial to emissions cuts – Watts
20 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says that policy certainty is the Government’s primary lever for unlocking private capital and meeting climate targets, telling a carbon forestry conference that ETS settings are 'locked' through 2030.
Climate-friendly investment still lagging in NZ
Tue 2 Sep 2025
While local financial firms have made recent strides in climate governance and emissions reporting, New Zealand’s institutional investors are still missing in action when it comes to backing clean technologies and climate solutions, according to a new report.
