Topics tagged with 'Biofuels'
EXCLUSIVE: Biofuels pioneer wants to go into production with refinery in NZ
22 Nov 2013
A New Zealand second generation-biofuels company is in the market for funding to build a refinery.
Melbourne expo might give us some answers
22 Nov 2013
Businesses looking for a steer on how Australia’s Emissions Reduction Fund scheme will work could find it at the Carbon Expo Australasia next month.
LanzaTech wins praise for China operation
8 Nov 2013
LanzaTech’s steelmill-waste-to-bioenergy plant in Beijing has earned recognition from international sustainability certifier RSB.
US biodiesel set to pass billion-gallon mark
18 Oct 2013
The United States biodiesel industry is on pace to produce more than the 1.28 billion gallons set under the Renewable Fuels Standard for this year.
Where's the Kiwi vision, asks IPCC author
11 Oct 2013
New Zealand could substantially cut greenhouse emissions from transport but lacks the vision to do so.
Production of biodiesel falls
30 Aug 2013
Production of biodiesel fell after the Government scrapped the Biodiesel Grant Scheme last year.
India laps up LanzaTech fuel process
16 Aug 2013
Gas fermentation technology developed in New Zealand will be used to produce low-carbon fuels from industrial carbon dioxide emissions in India.
Groser defends climate change attitudes
9 Aug 2013
This week in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Tim Groser found himself defending statements by two of his Cabinet colleagues that seem to suggest they are not entirely convinced that anthropogenic climate change is real:
NZ eyes move to natural capital cost
2 Aug 2013
Government officials are working on ways to bring in policies recognising the economic value of New Zealand natural capital.
Biofuel brokers welcome Beehive backing
2 Aug 2013
The bioenergy industry is welcoming Government support of a wood-waste-to-biofuel pilot.
Foresters cool on wood fuel project support
26 Jul 2013
The Government’s decision to back the initial stages of a wood-to-biofuel plant is welcome - but it’s not the game-changer that the industry needs.
Beehive backs Stump to Pump project
26 Jul 2013
A private project to investigate the commercial viability of turning wood waste into biofuel has won Government backing.
Fuel crops spell hunger, says scientist
12 Jul 2013
Growing fuel crops in place of food automatically creates either hunger or deforestation, new research shows.
Yes, we can make steel without coal
21 Jun 2013
Our ancestors made steel without coal, so why don't we? Former Green Party co-leader JEANETTE FITZSIMONS examines the feasibility of coal-less steel:
Air NZ in Paris to show off new green aircraft
21 Jun 2013
Air New Zealand's new Airbus A320s will each produce 250 tonnes less of carbon-equivalent emissions a year than the airline's current planes do.
Woodies want large-scale biofuel plant
14 Jun 2013
A massive wood-processing plant with a substantial biofuel plant add-on could be viable, the sector says.
Carbon price cancels out CCS potential
7 Jun 2013
A potentially lucrative industry in the underground storage of carbon dioxide is being stymied by almost negligible carbon prices.
Biofuels + Food = farming winner
24 May 2013
Farmers should be thinking about growing feedstocks for biofuels, says Federated Farmers.
Think bionergy, farmers will be told
12 Apr 2013
Farmers are being urged to think about how they can boost farm income by turning shelter belts and other bits of forestry into biofuels.
Biodiesel NZ good buy, says new owner
15 Mar 2013
Christchurch shipping executive Andrew Stark does not agree with political claims that Biodiesel NZ is a bad investment.
Don't blame biofuels, says minister
15 Mar 2013
The Government is denying its decision to scrap the biofuels obligation contributed to Solid Energy’s financial meltdown.
Wood industry report shows the way
8 Mar 2013
The wood industry’s investigation of future economic opportunities – including biofuels and biochemicals – is finished.
Water huge issue for food producers, says Nestle chief
1 Mar 2013
The food industry has been warned by one of its biggest players that water scarcity is among the greatest threats it faces.
Companies link to build fuel demo plant
15 Feb 2013
Development of a large-scale wood-to-biofuel plant in New Zealand came a step closer this week with the announcement that Z Energy and Norske Skog want to build a demonstration plant.
Former employees buy biofuels maker
15 Feb 2013
Solid Energy’s biofuels production company has been sold to two of its former employees.
Wood-waste plant idea excites biofuel pioneer
8 Feb 2013
Ground-breaking biofuel company LanzaTech is interested in building a woody-waste gasification plant in New Zealand.
Bio crop could put money in the margins
18 Jan 2013
A team of New Zealand researchers say that biofuels can be produced sustainably and economically from crops grown on the margins of paddocks.
Organisers hail success of green Olympics
14 Dec 2012
The London Olympics generated 28 per cent less carbon dioxide than was forecast as energy use at venues was cut, the organisers say.
Boost regional bio-industry, says report
16 Nov 2012
Fostering industries such as biofuels from woody biomass and investing in technologies such as smart grids could give New Zealand’s regional economies a real boost, says one of the authors of a new report on green growth.
We'd sign with Kyoto, promises Labour
16 Nov 2012
A Labour Government would sign up to the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
US leads energy race, says report
16 Nov 2012
The global energy map is changing in dramatic fashion, the International Energy Agency said as it launched the 2012 edition of the World Energy Outlook.
Greenies threaten to sue Netherlands
16 Nov 2012
The Netherlands Government is facing legal action unless it takes swift action on climate change.
US forces going green to fuel military machine
9 Nov 2012
The United States military is going green – for security reasons.
EXPO: How to lower fuel and power prices
9 Nov 2012
An expo featuring ways of cutting power and fuel prices will be held in Wellington this month.
Bioenergy process bad, says report
26 Oct 2012
Bioenergy production is often increasing greenhouse gas emissions in the short term even though the European Union counts it as a carbon neutral technology, according to an unreleased report obtained by agency EurActiv.
LanzaTech does the business in Malaysia
19 Oct 2012
New Zealand’s LanzaTech is working with Malaysia’s government-owned national oil company, Petronas, to convert carbon dioxide to sustainable chemicals.
Europe’s biofuel makers threaten revolt
19 Oct 2012
Representatives of Europe’s biofuels industry have threatened to sue the European Commission if it proceeds with plans to limit crop-based biofuels because of their indirect effect on greenhouse gas emissions.
Developing countries adopt green energy
12 Oct 2012
Investments in renewable energy continued their steady rise last year - and the developing world is taking the lead.
Industry angry as Solid Energy acts to drop biodesiel
5 Oct 2012
Solid Energy says it is in negotiations to sell its biodiesel business, but the industry remains angry over the Government’s retreat from the sector.
There's two sides to the green car story, say critics
21 Sep 2012
Critics of electric cars have pointed out that the vehicles are only as green as the electricity they use.
Experts urge action to save carbon market
14 Sep 2012
A high-level panel established to take stock of the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism has released its recommendations by urging nations to intervene forcefully to address the crisis in the carbon market.
Europe eyes limit on crop biofuels
14 Sep 2012
The European Union plans to impose a limit on the use of crop-based biofuels over fears they are less climate-friendly than initially thought and compete with food production, according to draft legislation.
Aquaflow wins major Asia award
14 Sep 2012
Kiwi renewable fuels company Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation won a Red Herring magazine Top 100 Asia Award in Hong Kong this week.
Industry slams Govt biofuel backdown
31 Aug 2012
The Government’s decision to stop subsidising biofuel development and to allow Solid Energy to retreat from the alternative fuels is damaging, the industry says.
Biofuel under fire as food crisis looms
24 Aug 2012
Drought-stricken crops and record-high grain prices have strengthened critics of the European Union biofuel industry, adding fears of a food crisis to their claims that it does not ultimately reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Most Kiwis back a green revolution
17 Aug 2012
New Zealanders are willing to put their hands in their pockets to encourage clean industries and technologies.
Scientists challenge biofuels claim
3 Aug 2012
German researchers have unveiled evidence suggesting European Commission claims that locally produced rapeseed biodiesel cut back at least 38 per cent of greenhouse gases compared with fossil fuels, are unfounded.
Great White Fleet becoming Great Green Fleet
27 Jul 2012
The US Navy aims to build a Great Green Fleet that will be as well known world-wide as its Great White Fleet.
Rio pledges pass $500 billion mark
29 Jun 2012
More than $513 billion in funding has been committed by governments, the private sector, civil society and other groups to achieve a sustainable future.
Empty emergency reserve forces $6.1m flood repair loan
Mon 2 Mar 2026
By Kira Carrington, Local Democracy Reporter | A depleted emergency fund has forced Marlborough to borrow $6.1 million to repair damage from last year's floods.
South Korean farmers sue utility giant KEPCO over climate damage to crops
Wed 25 Feb 2026
As harvest season approached last November, farmer Ma Yong-un walked through his apple orchard in southern South Korea with a growing sense of dread.
Air NZ joins Marsden Point SAF project
Today 12:30pm
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand has quietly added its name to a consortium exploring the viability of green hydrogen production for sustainable aviation fuel at Channel Infrastructure’s Marsden Point energy hub.
Singapore sets first ever sustainable aviation fuel levy, as Southeast Asia’s fuel industry grows
17 Feb 2026
Flying in and out of Singapore, home to Southeast Asia’s busiest airport, will get slightly more expensive this year as the city state begins imposing a levy of between 75 cents to $32 per ticket to fund sustainable aviation fuel.
World leaders invited to see Pacific climate destruction before COP31
Today 12:30pm
The leaders and climate ministers of governments around the world will be invited to meetings on the Pacific islands of Fiji, Palau and Tuvalu in the months leading up to the COP31 climate summit in November.
Bidders no-show at carbon auction – again
Today 12:30pm
By Liz Kivi | As predicted, today’s carbon auction yet again failed to attract any bidders, with NZUs currently trading hands on the secondary market at a 35% discount on this year’s auction floor price.
Oil and gas prices jump as conflict escalates
Today 12:30pm
Oil and gas prices have surged as Iran continues to launch strikes across the Middle East in response to ongoing attacks by the US and Israel.
Carbon auction set to be another non-event
Mon 2 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | Tomorrow’s Emissions Trading Scheme auction – the first for 2026 – is set to be a non-event, with secondary market prices more than $25 below this year’s $71 auction floor price.
3,600 times faster: China is shaking up the steel industry
Wed 25 Feb 2026
For over a century, making steel meant coal, heat, and hours of waiting. A Chinese research team now reports collapsing that process into just three to six seconds; no coal, near zero emissions, and a vortex lance already moving toward commercial production. The technology is called flash ironmaking, and in February 2026, its implications are still unfolding.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
19 Feb 2026
Construction is set to begin on a new retail-office development in central Auckland, which is targeting a 40% reduction in embodied carbon and 25% lower energy.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Italy calls for suspension of EU carbon market
Mon 2 Mar 2026
The Italian Minister said the Emissions Trading System (ETS) has a "perverse effect" and is condemning European companies from being competitive with other countries, urging other member states to back the suspension.
How Trump’s war could destabilize the global energy market
Mon 2 Mar 2026
It starts — but doesn’t end — with the Strait of Hormuz.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
20 Feb 2026
Several environmental organisations are calling on political parties to make climate and biodiversity central to the 2026 election campaign, with reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme seen as a key priority.
Pacific climate advocates welcome pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji and Tuvalu
Fri 27 Feb 2026
Media release – 350.org | Climate advocates across the Pacific will now prepare for the Pre-COP31 meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu, with the Pacific Islands Forum confirming the hosts yesterday.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
The 15 foods destroying rainforests, in one simple chart
Wed 25 Feb 2026
It’s pretty much impossible to live a life free of environmental harm. But there is one thing you could do immediately that would help the planet a heck of a lot: eat less beef.
Judge orders Greenpeace to pay $345m over Dakota Access pipeline protest
Mon 2 Mar 2026
Greenpeace says the case is far from over after being found liable for defamation and other claims brought by the energy firm.
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.”
New study looks to nature markets to accelerate climate response
18 Feb 2026
The Nature Conservancy is teaming up with local groups to study the most affordable and effective ways of restoring native habitats at the top of the South Island, including ways to fund the work using international voluntary carbon markets and biodiversity credits.
Surviving on Trump's dangerous planet
Mon 2 Mar 2026
COMMENT: Yet another war, and yet another argument for an end to oil.
Claims that AI can help fix climate dismissed as greenwashing
18 Feb 2026
Tech companies are conflating traditional artificial intelligence with generative AI when claiming the energy-hungry technology could help avert climate breakdown, according to a report.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
Media round-up
13 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Senior UK ministers have asked their New Zealand counterparts to explain new climate policies, National’s LNG blunders are a warning ahead of election campaign, and what are the lessons New Zealand should take from another summer of weather disasters?
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
Climate law change spanner in the works for Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry
19 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s controversial changes to New Zealand’s legal framework for climate policy have thrown a spanner in the works for a long-running Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry into climate change.
EDS puts environmental lawmaking under the spotlight
Thu 26 Feb 2026
Media Release |The Environmental Defence Society has launched the first in a series of investigative pieces into how environmental laws are being made in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Climate 'dream team' launches foundation targeting 100 million tonnes in emissions cuts
Wed 25 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The New Zealand Climate Foundation, which has the ambitious aim of cutting 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, had its official launch on Monday.
China has a new competitor? Kazakhstan reveals huge rare Earth deposit that could power the next tech boom
Wed 25 Feb 2026
China’s grip on rare earths might finally see some competition, and the world is already taking notice.
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.
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
Fri 27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests many New Zealanders believe the environment is in better shape than it really is, with public perceptions often out of step with scientific evidence.
UN approves first carbon credits under Paris Agreement market mechanism
Fri 27 Feb 2026
The United Nations has approved the first credits to be issued under a carbon market established by the Paris climate accord, aimed at reducing emissions – a mechanism that has faced scrutiny over greenwashing concerns.
Australia-US minerals deal underpinned decision to allow mining company to clear threatened indigenous forest
23 Feb 2026
The Australian government’s decision to allow the US mining giant Alcoa to continue clearing swathes of Western Australian jarrah forest despite past illegal clearing practices was made in part due to a critical minerals deal reached between Australia and the Trump administration last year, a new document shows.
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics
24 Feb 2026
Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?
Local govt shake-up risks weakened environmental outcomes – Commissioner
Fri 27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s push to simplify local government is "deeply flawed" and has been launched without a clear understanding of which functions must remain regional, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
UK Greens win by-election as anti-data centre protests mount
Today 12:30pm
The Green Party's Hannah Spencer won the contest for the vacant parliamentary seat of Gorton and Denton, with Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party coming second, and Labour pushed into third place.
Media round-up
20 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: 'Every tonne matters': The climate scientist who wants to give you hope; Minister says managed retreat is an option; and climate change is here – is New Zealand ready?
Brazil and India agree to boost cooperation on rare earths
24 Feb 2026
Brazil and India sealed a deal Saturday on critical minerals and rare earths, enhancing cooperation on crucial resources between two major countries of the global south as they seek to diversify their trading relationships.
Africa primed for solar breakthrough after record capacity growth
Today 12:30pm
The continent of Africa looks set to emerge as a key driver of global solar power production over the rest of the 2020s thanks to a potent mix of policy support, rapid economic growth and declining component costs.
High-tech flights tackle climate modelling dilemma
Mon 2 Mar 2026
Media release – University of Canterbury | An ongoing challenge in global climate modelling is being addressed by HALO-South a German-Christchurch collaboration.
DOC trims costs and winds down jobs for nature
10 Nov 2025
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is entering a new phase of tighter budgets and structural change as it winds down the pandemic-era Jobs for Nature programme and reshapes its operations to absorb long-term cost pressures.
NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
9 Feb 2026
Media release | A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
Canterbury rolls out NZ’s first lightweight electric double-decker
Today 12:30pm
Metro has introduced the country’s first lightweight electric double-decker bus, marking a major milestone for public transport innovation in Canterbury.
General Assembly chief calls for US to pay UN fees in full
Fri 27 Feb 2026
The head of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday urged top contributor the United States to pay its fees in full after Washington made only a partial payment to the global body, amounting to less than 5% of the total amount owed.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
18 Feb 2026
Aotearoa’s first National Infrastructure Plan, introduced to Parliament yesterday, calls for "a predictable approach to electrifying the economy" as one of ten priorities for the next decade.
Study finds warming world increases days when weather is prone to fires around the globe
20 Feb 2026
The number of days when the weather gets hot, dry and windy — ideal to spark extreme wildfires — has nearly tripled in the past 45 years across the globe, with the trend increasing even higher in the Americas, a new study shows.
India and UK launch offshore wind taskforce
23 Feb 2026
Constituted under Vision 2035 and the Fourth India-UK Energy Dialogue, the Taskforce is designed to provide strategic leadership and coordination for India’s nascent offshore wind ecosystem.
