COAL PART 6: Infographic, the state of coal

24 Jun 2016

Coal played a vital role in the Industrial Revolution and continues to fuel some of the world’s largest economies. This is the sixth in a series looks at coal’s past, present and uncertain future.

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Huntly Power Station

Genesis fires up pellet study with Nature’s Flame

Wed 8 Apr 2026

By Pattrick Smellie | Genesis Energy is extending its quest for locally produced torrefied wood pellets to supplement coal and gas to fuel its Huntly power station, announcing it is investigating plant construction with established local solid fuels player Nature’s Flame.

EA entrenches 10kW export limit for residential solar

Wed 8 Apr 2026

By Pattrick Smellie | The Electricity Authority intends to require all electricity networks to offer at least a 10 kilowatt (kW) export capacity for residential rooftop and other small-scale distributed generation.

Renewable build-out runs into grid and firming limits

Wed 8 Apr 2026

New Zealand's electricity market entered 2026 with renewable generation at record levels and a substantial build pipeline finally moving from paper to construction. The harder question is whether the wider system can absorb and firm that capacity fast enough.

John Carnegie, chief executive of lobby group Energy Resources Aotearoa, led the 'fireside chat' with then- Energy Minister Simon Watts at Downstream.

Watts’s last stand: Simeon Brown takes energy portfolio

2 Apr 2026

By Pattrick Smellie | Energy Minister Simon Watts has lost the portfolio to Cabinet fixer Simeon Brown in a reshuffle announced by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon this morning.

Glenbrook Steel Mill was a beneficiary of the GIDI fund

Labour mulls GIDI 2.0 as factory closures mount

1 Apr 2026

By Pattrick Smellie | Factory closures across the country could have been prevented if the last Labour-led government’s GIDI fund to assist companies with the cost of electrification hadn't been scrapped, Labour energy spokesperson, Megan Woods, says.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon

‘Even more bonkers now’ – energy expert on LNG terminal

1 Apr 2026

By Liz Kivi | An energy consultant says the Government’s plan to back an LNG import facility is a “non-starter” in the face of rising gas prices due to the Middle East conflict.

From scrapheap to fast-track: Lake Onslow project

26 Mar 2026

By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has agreed to fast-track a revived Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme – a project the National Party previously derided before scrapping it in 2023 – now re-emerging under a private-sector consortium.

Unleashing the energy superpower under our feet

26 Mar 2026

Opinion: Geothermal is a reliable, low-emission, homegrown energy source that runs around the clock - and as energy security concerns grow in New Zealand and globally, demand will only rise, writes Associate Professor Dr John O'Sullivan.

Castlepoint lighthouse, Wairarapa

NZ prepares to join ‘gold rush’ for white hydrogen

25 Mar 2026

By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand may be close to commercialising the capture and use of naturally occurring ‘white’ hydrogen, with investment plans for developments in the Wairarapa region picking up pace in response to spiralling oil prices.

Gas sector asks Govt to back biomethane

25 Mar 2026

The gas sector has asked the Government to back a much more active push into biomethane, arguing renewable gas made from waste and other organic material could eventually supply more than half of New Zealand's remaining natural gas demand.