Topics tagged with 'Biofuels'
Researchers say sealing old oil wells with bio-oil from crop waste is a dual carbon-removal solution
19 Sep 2025
A new analysis shows that oil made from corn husks, wood chips, and other waste could plug greenhouse gas-belching abandoned oil wells while sequestering carbon for about $152 per ton.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
Air NZ declares surprisingly low SAF prices
3 Sep 2025
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.
Media round-up
15 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Australia could be about to leapfrog New Zealand on climate targets; 'strangled' rivers are fighting back; and 10 rangatahi will join Aotearoa New Zealand’s delegation at the United Nations' major climate conference in Brazil.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
14 May 2025
Critics are sceptical about industry claims of renewable diesel life-cycle greenhouse gas emission cuts and warn renewable diesel carbon releases will surge if sourcing is scaled up, triggering tropical deforestation as producers convert forests to energy crops, such as oil palm and soy.
Green Party plans to bring back industry decarbonisation fund
6 May 2025
The Greens want to bring back the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) Fund and use it to kickstart sustainable forestry for building and fuel.
Air New Zealand announces less ambitious emissions ‘guidance’
2 May 2025
Air New Zealand has published its first “emissions guidance,” saying it expects to reduce net “well-to-wake” greenhouse gas emissions from jet fuel by 20-25% by 2030, from a 2019 baseline.
Genesis reports rising coal, declining gas
2 May 2025
Talks about the future of the third Rankine unit at Huntly continue as Genesis reported a third quarter result that showed the rise of coal and the decline of gas.
Pacific families on the food scraps revolution – and how to avoid maggots
16 Apr 2025
By Mary Afemata, Local Democracy Reporter| Tomato crops are thriving in Reporoa, powered by what Aucklanders are throwing in their green bins.
Biofuels key to food security and shipping resilience for NZ
7 Apr 2025
By Shannon Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand's reliance on imported fossil fuels poses significant risks for food security and shipping resilience in the face of global catastrophes, according to experts speaking at a recent webinar on biofuel self-sufficiency.
Genesis signs second biomass agreement
17 Mar 2025
Genesis Energy has signed another preliminary agreement with a potential biomass supplier to replace coal for Huntly power station.
Putting rainforests into fuel tanks? Groups warn IMO against 'biofuel disaster'
20 Feb 2025
Media release | The International Maritime Organization and its 176 Member States must oppose the promotion of biofuels in international shipping and commit to a future powered by genuine clean energy, say Biofuelwatch and the Global Forest Coalition.
Consultation on standard for measuring biogas and biomethane carbon intensity
19 Feb 2025
As biomethane and biogas become more common, New Zealand needs a consistent approach to measuring the carbon intensity of these fuels, according to the Bioenergy Association.
Airbus delay signals turbulence for hydrogen-powered aviation
11 Feb 2025
A plan to decarbonise aviation in New Zealand is up in the air after airplane manufacturer Airbus announced significant delays for its development of hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft.
Science reforms could further erode climate expertise
24 Jan 2025
Foresters have welcomed the government’s sweeping science reforms, but leading climate scientist James Renwick fears a further erosion of expertise from the research sector.
Auckland diverts over 30,000 tonnes of food scraps from landfill
19 Nov 2024
Media release | More than 30,000 tonnes of food scraps contributed by Aucklanders since the food scraps collections began in April last year have been used to produce renewable energy and fertiliser.
Are Air New Zealand's biofuel hopes just pie in the sky?
1 Nov 2024
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand and LanzaJet say a study shows promising results for turning wood waste into jet fuel. However, experts say that making jet fuel from wood at an industrial scale is challenging and extremely unlikely to result in near-term emissions reductions.
Could geothermal power stations go carbon-negative?
12 Aug 2024
Retrofitting a geothermal power station could allow carbon capture from other sources like forestry residue, according to a new study.
Is Air NZ leading the way in dropping its climate target?
2 Aug 2024
News that Air New Zealand is dropping its 2030 emissions target made international headlines this week, and experts are asking whether more businesses will follow suit.
Updated standard paves the way for introducing biomethane into existing gas pipeline network
30 Apr 2024
Media release: Gas NZ | The recent updating of the standard for reticulated natural gas by Standards New Zealand to allow for renewable gas to be injected into gas pipelines is a significant step towards New Zealand’s transition to renewable gas, GasNZ chief executive Jeffrey Clarke says.
Govt co-funding $33 million to cut industrial emissions
16 Aug 2023
The government has announced its latest round of co-funding for industry to cut emissions, with a $33.3 million investment aiming to reduce carbon emissions by 67,300 tonnes every year.
Sustainable aviation fuel funding is govt “greenwash”: fuel expert
10 Jul 2023
By Liz Kivi | A former senior oil executive says that the government and Air New Zealand investing more than $2 million in research into sustainable aviation fuel is a blatant greenwashing tactic.
Converting Huntly would take mass amounts of biomass
27 Feb 2023
Fuelling the Huntly power station with wood pellets will require building a domestic supply chain which would dwarf current global supply of the specialised product Genesis Energy would need.
Genesis biomass trial could lead to 90% reduction in Huntly’s emissions
23 Feb 2023
Genesis has completed a biomass burn trial as it looks at alternative fuels for Huntly Power Station, which could reduce emissions from the coal-fired plant by 90%.
Scrapping the biofuels mandate is short-term thinking during climate crisis
21 Feb 2023
By Paul Bennett | OPINION: The Government’s decision to halt the biofuels mandate may ease concerns about looming price hikes at the petrol pump but it’s a political can that can’t be kicked down the road forever.
Environmental groups say govt decision to drop biofuels mandate "enormous relief"
9 Feb 2023
Environmental groups, motoring and fossil fuel lobbyists, and opposition parties have all welcomed the government's decision to drop the biofuels mandate.
EU climate plan sacrifices carbon storage and biodiversity for bioenergy
30 Nov 2022
Incoming policies will cause the European Union to harvest more wood, shift one-fifth of cropland to bioenergy and outsource deforestation, analysis shows.
Govt calls for submissions on Sustainable Biofuel Obligation Bill
22 Nov 2022
The government is calling for submissions on the Sustainable Biofuel Obligation Bill, which is intended to simplify the transition from liquid fossil fuels to low-emissions fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport.
Best by the rest...
23 Sep 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: A biofuel mandate prompts economic and environmental criticism; new research in Australia reveals conservative voters care just as much about the environment as climate change activists; and slow lawmaking is making it difficult to act on environmental regulation in time.
As demand for electric cars grows, Chileans face the effects of lithium mining
19 Sep 2022
The South American country of Chile has become a center of lithium mining, which has boomed as demand for electric car batteries has risen. But what are the environmental costs?
The Government’s gas conundrum
27 Jun 2022
By Ian Llewellyn - Energy & Environment | The problem of how to phase out natural gas use and not cause energy security problems and inflict billions of dollars in costs is highlighted in a Cabinet paper starting work on a Gas Transition Plan.
Why plant-based biofuels are not the silver bullet to Europe's carbon problem
24 Feb 2022
Crop fuels are "fake solutions" to the pressing problem of reducing carbon emissions, concludes a new study commissioned by Environmental Action Germany (DUH).
This fuel plant will use agricultural waste to combat climate change
16 Feb 2022
A startup plans to build a new type of fuel-producing plant in California’s fertile Central Valley that would, if it works as hoped, continually capture and bury carbon dioxide.
Convert Marsden Point to produce bio-crude: Bioenergy Assoc
26 Jul 2021
The government is asleep at the wheel and should be pushing for the Marsden Point Refinery to be repurposed to produce bio-crude, the executive officer of the Bioenergy Association, Brian Cox, says.
Bioenergy Assoc responds to environmental concerns
22 Jul 2021
Last week we published an article outlining the concerns of a coalition of zero waste and regenerative farming groups about the potential for biogas development to lock in unsustainable farming practices. Today the Bioenergy Association's executive officer Brian Cox responds.
Biogas proposals risk locking in unsustainable agriculture: groups claim
15 Jul 2021
Proposals in a recent biogas report, part-funded by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), risks locking in agricultural practices that harm the country’s soils and waters and contribute to climate change, a coalition of zero waste and regenerative horticulture groups say.
Biogas could meet 20% of NZ’s needs by 2050
7 Jul 2021
A joint study by engineering consultancy Beca, Firstgas and Fonterra claims renewable gas could replace close to 20% of New Zealand’s total gas usage by 2050.
Responses to ClimCom final advice divides along usual lines
10 Jun 2021
An avalanche of press releases in response to yesterday’s release of the Climate Change Commission’s final advice to the government sees interest groups dividing along familiar lines.
Inaia tonu nei – the time is now
9 Jun 2021
Inaia tonu nei – the time is now: a low emissions future for Aotearoa – the Climate Commission’s final advice to the Government, released to the public today, says a revision of the New Zealand’s baseline emissions has made the task ahead “slightly more difficult.”
10 YEARS AGO...
4 Jun 2021
Ten years ago, scientists an airlines were saying an aviation biofuels industry was a viable proposition.
How should that $3 billion in ETS revenues be spent?
27 May 2021
Paying farmers to reduce their stocks, electrifying the main trunk line, and subsidies to zero-carbon housing, are some of the ideas suggested by experts for how the Government should spend the estimated $3 billion dollars raised over the next five years from the ETS auctions.
Acting now pays dividends in the future
26 May 2021
Transforming the economy now rather than protecting key wealth generating sectors from the full effect of international carbon prices will see the economy grow more in the long run, updated economic modelling shows.
Is that lithium or methane on the Govt’s breath?
21 May 2021
In 1985, then prime minister, David Lange, memorably quipped that he could smell the uranium on the pro-nuclear televangelist Jerry Falwell’s breath during an Oxford Union debate.
10 YEARS AGO...
21 May 2021
Ten years ago, Solid Energy subsidiary Biodiesel New Zealand announced it was setting up a bulk distribution facility in Nelson.
10 YEARS AGO...
7 May 2021
Ten years ago, the Australian Government committed $5 million towards a research centre for biofuels.
Bursting the climate bubble
19 Apr 2021
The government missed an opportunity to transition to a more sustainable future with the opening of the trans-Tasman bubble today, according to two academics.
Renewable LPG the answer
7 Apr 2021
MEDIA RELEASE - Renewable LPG can supply New Zealand’s LPG needs and achieve the emissions reductions proposed by the Climate Commission without the need to ban new connections, a new study shows.
Climate change benefits include better health, quieter streets, cleaner water
24 Mar 2021
Government must encourage the benefits that come from climate change action, including health improvements, quieter streets, cleaner water and increased biodiversity through more native forests, He Pou a Rangi, the Climate Change Commission, says.
TRANSPORT 1: High carbon prices and behaviour change
16 Mar 2021
New Zealand is failing to get transport emissions under control, as latest data shows. Energy expert and IPCC lead author Emeritus Professor Ralph Sims says there is lots we can do, including pushing carbon prices higher.
‘Pathetic': experts slam govt’s approach to adaptation
Mon 20 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has signalled it will step back from full property buyouts if assets are hit by climate disasters, a move adaptation experts say will condemn hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders to a “dismal” future.
Govt ‘captured by industry’ on methane – Carr
Tue 21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr says that recent moves to weaken methane targets and halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing show the Government has been captured by industry.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
NZ not 'holding the line' on wilding pine management – experts
15 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is no longer “holding the line” against invasive threats, with the country’s scale, remoteness and rugged terrain making control costly and complex, one expert has said ahead of this week's Wilding Pines Conference.
Broker predicts all this year’s carbon auctions will fail
10 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Marex New Zealand is forecasting that the government will sell no ‘pollution permits’ at the NZU auctions this year, with a significant gap continuing between secondary market prices and this year’s $68 auction floor price.
States sue to stop Trump cancellation of $7 billion solar grant program
Tue 21 Oct 2025
Nearly two dozen states are suing the Trump administration over its cancellation of a $7 billion grant program aimed at expanding solar energy in low-income communities, according to court papers.
Will govt’s light touch approach lead to higher carbon prices?
3 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Carbon market watchers are hoping the government’s plan for the electricity sector will eventually lead to higher carbon prices, with the secondary market still trading sideways for the longest time in its history.
Electricity to remain in ETS
1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has rejected Frontier Economics' recommendation that electricity should be removed from the Emissions Trading Scheme.
The merchants of doubt are back
3 Sep 2025
OPINION: If you don’t follow climate policy closely, you might not know that the Trump administration is launching an effort to overturn one of the most fundamental pillars of American climate policy.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
UN limits staff at COP30 climate summit over accommodation concerns
19 Sep 2025
High hotel prices for Brazil's COP30 climate summit in November have prompted the United Nations to urge its staff to limit attendance, while government delegations are still scrambling to find rooms within their budgets.
All carrot, no stick for farmers on methane
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: The abandonment of methane emissions pricing and the adoption of a weaker target is effectively the last nail in the coffin of the historic cross-parliamentary consensus embedded in the Zero Carbon Act 2019.
Electricity Authority proposes doubling solar export limits to 10 kW
Mon 20 Oct 2025
The Electricity Authority is proposing a default 10kW export limit for small-scale generation, saying new inverter standards and voltage settings allow homes and businesses to feed more power into local networks without compromising safety.
From nuisance to crisis: New report on pest wasps In Aotearoa
24 Sep 2025
Media release: Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust | Just published is the Final Report of the Pest Wasps Survey carried out by the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust (MBNZT) offering a comprehensive look at New Zealanders’ awareness, experiences, and attitudes toward wasps and the growing ecological, health, and social issues associated with them.
Adaptation plan at odds with public sentiment: survey
Tue 21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s position on climate adaptation buyouts shows a disconnect with public opinion, according to survey findings from insurer Suncorp NZ.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
Thu 16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show marine heatwaves will grow more intense around the North Island and more frequent around the South Island as the climate warms – raising risks for fisheries, aquaculture, coastal ecosystems and tourism.
World falling far behind deforestation goals with farms and fires driving loss, report says
15 Oct 2025
The report said the world permanently lost 8.1 million hectares (20 million acres) of forest, an area about the size of England, in 2024 alone.
‘Damp squib’ – Govt energy plan slammed for locking in fossil fuels
2 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Critics across business, climate groups and the opposition say the Government’s electricity reforms duck structural change, double down on LNG and gas, and offer little relief for soaring power prices – warning of an “expensive white elephant", deeper energy poverty and a missed chance to scale renewables.
RMA to speed up fossil fuel consents
18 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | An energy lobby group has welcomed a last-minute amendment to the RMA that puts fossil fuels on the same footing as renewables, however a sustainable energy expert says the move “beggars belief.”
Climate investment is only growth opportunity of 21st century, says leading economist
15 Oct 2025
Investment in climate action is the economic growth story of the 21st century, while growth fuelled by fossil fuels is futile because the damage it causes ends in self-destruction, the economist Nicholas Stern has said.
Difficult trade-offs ahead for climate adaptation
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While climate impacts are already here, bringing the urgent need to accelerate effective adaptation now, the Government's newly minted adaptation framework still leaves important questions unanswered about who will pay.
Climate credibility gap widening for Aussie firms
1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Australian public companies’ climate change commitments are in retreat, reflecting difficulty in achieving stated targets and increased fossil use, but not because of any pressure to make less effort, according to a study of major companies’ ESG reporting.
Coal imports up 650%
12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Coal imports are up 650% as generators stockpile the most polluting fossil fuel ahead of next winter.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Will NZ walk away from the Paris Agreement?
20 Dec 2024
By Geoff Bertram | COMMENT: Unless the government can find very cheap offshore mitigation, the temptation to walk away from its Paris Agreement obligations may well be too strong to resist for a coalition government focused on fiscal austerity.
Judge dismisses suit by young climate activists against Trump’s pro-fossil fuel policies
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Plaintiffs had ‘overwhelming evidence’ of climate crisis but a court injunction would be ‘unworkable’, ruling says.
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
Deep sea mining threatens sharks, rays and ghost sharks
6 Oct 2025
Mining the world’s deep seas for metals will likely threaten many species of sharks, rays and chimaeras (ghost sharks), according to researchers.
Methane pledge in question following NZ weakening targets
Mon 20 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi New Zealand’s new methane target puts the Global Methane Pledge – and ultimately climate targets – at risk, according to an international expert.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
Mystery heatwave warms Pacific Ocean to new record
Tue 21 Oct 2025
The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to BBC analysis of a mysterious marine heatwave that has confounded climate scientists.
‘Weird and sad’ – Tuvalu Climate Minister condemns NZ halving methane target
15 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Dr Maina Talia, Tuvalu’s Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change, and Environment, says he’s surprised at New Zealand’s decision to weaken its target for reducing methane emissions – and is planning to take up the issue with his counterpart Climate Minister Simon Watts this week.
Bottom trawling a triple threat to marine environments - new report
9 Oct 2025
Media release | Greenpeace is calling for urgent action to restrict bottom trawling after a new government report highlights the compounding effects this destructive fishing method has on climate change, habitat degradation and biodiversity loss.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
Tue 21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Students repeat request for Victoria University to divest from fossil fuel investments
24 Sep 2025
Media release | A group of students campaigning for climate action at Victoria University of Wellington have dropped a banner protesting against the university’s lack of action on its 2014 commitment to divest from fossil fuels.
Straterra has a new name: the New Zealand Minerals Council
16 Apr 2025
Media release | Straterra has been renamed as New Zealand Minerals Council, says chief executive Josie Vidal.
How one country’s Russian gas crisis became a green energy boom
Tue 21 Oct 2025
When Russia invaded Ukraine, Moldova quickly empowered its small towns to produce their own renewable energy so no one could push it around.
Solar households to get little-noticed tax break
23 Sep 2025
A provision in the government’s latest tax bill would exempt households from paying tax on income they earn by selling excess electricity back to the grid.
Climate scientists and republican lawyers are taking aim at Big Tech’s emissions
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Technology companies have long been one of the biggest investors in clean energy, but new accounting rules could upend that.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
31 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is expected to repeal the oil and gas ban today, with a last-minute amendment handing discretionary power to two ministers over the controversial issue of decommissioning.
Landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions in tatters after US pressure
Mon 20 Oct 2025
A landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions has been abandoned after Saudi Arabia and the US succeeded in ending the talks.
Where’s Watts? Climate Minister no-show at climate conference
Thu 16 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Opposition parties have slammed the Climate Change Minister’s failure to front up to a major international conference in Christchurch, saying it shows that climate adaptation is a low priority for the National Party.
Fix it, don't ditch it: University of Auckland hosts first Repair Cafe
9 Oct 2025
Media release - Auckland University | The University's first-ever Repair Cafe is bringing students and staff together to give broken items a new lease on life, while promoting a culture of repair and reuse.
Farmers face heightened solvency risks as climate changes: research
10 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Increasingly volatile weather patterns, higher insurance costs driven by climate change risk and global financial volatility represent risks to New Zealand farmers’ capacity to service debt and remain solvent, according to new research by Christchurch-based research firm Kōmanawa Solutions.
‘Con,’ ‘scam,’ ‘hoax’: Trump’s UN speech on climate
24 Sep 2025
The president used a large chunk of his hour-long speech to world leaders to condemn climate science and clean energy policies.
Trump administration moves to revoke permit for Massachusetts offshore wind project
24 Sep 2025
The Trump administration has moved to block a Massachusetts offshore wind farm, its latest effort to hobble an industry and technology that President Donald Trump has attacked as “ugly” and unreliable compared to fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.
