Topics tagged with 'Biofuels'
Industry eyes mega wood-fuel plant
8 Jun 2012
A mega pulp-and-paper plant producing biofuel for the domestic market could be on the cards.
Jobs boom looms in clean energy
8 Jun 2012
More than half the people working in the energy industry in 2030 will be employed in clean energy, a new report says.
Stand by for the golden age of gas
1 Jun 2012
Exploiting the world’s vast resources of unconventional natural gas holds the key to a golden age of gas, says the International Energy Agency.
Island nations commit to new fuels
11 May 2012
Twenty small island developing nations meeting in Barbados have announced new actions to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and end poverty.
It's a game-changer, says Aquaflow
20 Apr 2012
Kiwi clean energy company Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation believes it is poised to make refining next generation biofuels a commercial reality in New Zealand and in overseas projects within three years.
Build pulp-biofuel plant, urges expert
23 Mar 2012
New Zealand has a once-in-a-decade opportunity to build a mega pulp-and-paper mill that could also produce biofuel for the domestic market, the wood industry has been told.
Wood the answer, says biofuel expert
16 Mar 2012
New Zealand should be replacing fossil-fuel energy with wood, says the general manager of a Whakatane-based biotechnology business.
Biofuels get $15 million boost
16 Mar 2012
Australia’s biofuel industry has been given a boost with the Government’s announcement of a $15 million commitment to the new Advanced Biofuels Investment Readiness programme.
NZ could be centre for new fuel technology
24 Feb 2012
New Zealand could become a regional centre for emulsified fuel technology.
Why we must target the 2deg limit
9 Dec 2011
Scientists working on the Global Carbon Project have said that despite nearly 15 years of pledges to make cuts, the release of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels is still increasing at a record rate.
LanzaTech to make avgas for US
2 Dec 2011
New Zealand gas fermentation company LanzaTech has won an American government contract to make aviation fuel from waste products.
Sustainability study hailed as success
2 Dec 2011
The director of a ground-breaking graduate programme in sustainable practice says the first year of the course has been a success.
Business getting serious about green investment
18 Nov 2011
Businesses and governments are accelerating investment in the green sectors of the economy, a just-released United Nations report shows.
Aquaflow to show know-how in Australia
11 Nov 2011
New Zealand’s Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation is joining forces with an Australian company to build plants that turn waste into fuel.
Gas outage spurs forest biofuel option
4 Nov 2011
Major industries, hotels, hospitals and large schools in the central North Island should be seriously considering forest residues as an energy source, say forest owners.
Study urges care with harvesting for biofuel
28 Oct 2011
Turning trees into biofuel can release more carbon into the atmosphere than would have been released by fossil fuels, new American research says.
LanzaTech gases will fuel Virgin aircraft
14 Oct 2011
New Zealand’s LanzaTech has done a deal to that will provide Virgin Atlantic with low-carbon aviation fuel.
Windflow founder backs shares plan
7 Oct 2011
Windflow Technology founder Geoff Henderson is lending the company $150,000 to keep it afloat as the company extends the closing date for a share purchase plan.
Climate drives transport changes
16 Sep 2011
It is hard to overlook the issue of transport in New Zealand, particularly after the shambles that was Auckland’s public transport system for the Rugby World Cup opening ceremony last Friday.
Big business backs eucalypt biofuel
2 Sep 2011
A consortium of Australian businesses plans to use eucalypt trees to produce aviation biofuel from a pilot production unit operating by 2012.
Fund invites waste controls ideas
5 Aug 2011
Applications are open for grants from the Waste Minimisation Fund.
Biofuel plan stagnates while Government dithers
29 Jul 2011
Work on a multi-million dollar plant to turn tallow into biodiesel is on hold while investors wait to see whether the Government will continue its biofuel subsidy.
Renewable energy making its mark on the world
15 Jul 2011
The renewable energy sector has continued to perform well despite the global economic slowdown, cuts in incentives, and low natural-gas prices, according to a new United Nations-backed report.
Emissions trading is best, says Shell chief
17 Jun 2011
Emissions trading schemes are a better way of tackling carbon pollution than government subsidies of renewable energy projects, says a senior Shell executive.
Jet fuel industry viable, say scientists
3 Jun 2011
Establishing an Australian and New Zealand aviation biofuels industry is a viable proposition, according to scientists and the region’s major industry players.
Biofuels project wins $5m funding
13 May 2011
A government grant of $5 million is a further step toward establishing a Biofuels Research Institute in Australia.
Most Kiwis want renewables over fossil fuels
21 Apr 2011
Most New Zealanders do not support the Government’s strategy of prioritising more exploration and mining for fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas to sell off-shore, says WWF.
Wood processors want slice of the pie
8 Apr 2011
Wood processors want a slice of the scheme providing free carbon credits to trade-exposed industries.
LanzaTech boost follows Taiwan deal
8 Apr 2011
New Zealand’s LanzaTech is fast-tracking commercialisation of its bio-chemical production process after signing a deal with one of the world’s leading chemical companies.
What the IEA thinks of our ETS
1 Apr 2011
The International Energy Agency says there is no guarantee New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme will actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Government sets 50 by 50 emissions target
1 Apr 2011
The Government has confirmed New Zealand's long-term emissions reduction target of 50 per cent on 1990 levels by 2050.
Scientists show biochar slashes animal gas
25 Mar 2011
New Zealand scientists have proved that emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide from animal urine can be cut drastically by adding biochar to the soil.
LanzaTech NZBIO company of the year
25 Mar 2011
LanzaTech, which has taken its technology for converting waste gases in to ethanol and chemicals from its Auckland laboratory to the world, has won the NZBIO 2011 Company of the Year Award.
Biodiesel co-op wants to expand
18 Mar 2011
New Zealand’s first biodiesel co-operative is celebrating its first birthday with plans to expand into other towns.
Australia eyes 50% tax cut on new fuels
28 Jan 2011
Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten has released draft legislation for public consultation on the Australian Government's reform of the taxation of alternative fuels.
Dramatic emissions cuts possible, says UN
28 Jan 2011
Dramatic cuts in industrial emissions of greenhouse gas emissions are achievable in developed and developing countries at an acceptable cost, the United Nations says.
CANCUN: We're fooling nobody, says Chauvel
10 Dec 2010
Labour's Climate Change Issues spokesman, Charles Chauvel, reports from Cancun:
Lanzatech hits the hot 50
10 Dec 2010
Energy technology company LanzaTech (http://www.lanzatech.co.nz/) has climbed higher in the world ranking of the “50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy”.
Aquaflow links with US firm in energy move
3 Dec 2010
New Zealand’s Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation is joining forces with a Californian company to develop next-generation technology to produce low-cost renewable energy and chemicals.
EECA 1 - bioenergy all the rage
26 Nov 2010
The 2010 EECA Awards have been dominated by bioenergy in various forms – showing an increasing interest from Kiwi businesses in new forms of renewable energy.
Macro companies vie for a mega Giga
26 Nov 2010
More than two dozen of the world's largest companies have made the shortlist for the first Gigaton Awards based on their leadership and efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
LanzaTech to work on jet fuel development
19 Nov 2010
New Zealand's LanzaTech is to work with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on converting some of LanzaTech’s products to drop-in jet fuel.
Agency doubts Copenhagen pact energy goal
12 Nov 2010
A lack of ambition in the Copenhagen Accord pledges has increased by $1 trillion the estimated cost of holding the global temperature increase to under 2°C, says the head of the International Energy Agency, Nobuo Tanaka.
Frankly speaking - Groser addresses Brazil conference
29 Oct 2010
The challenges of life as an international climate change negotiator have been revealed.
World clean-tech spotlight shines on LanzaTech
15 Oct 2010
The work of a pioneering New Zealand clean-tech company has been recognised internationally not once but twice this week.
How the military's green energy transition can make you rich
15 Oct 2010
By Jeff Siegel.- It was all over the news last week ...
Greenpeace stages protest over oil drilling
8 Oct 2010
"Oil"-smeared people walked through central Wellington on Wednesday to protest Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee’s reckless determination to dig and drill for more dirty fossil fuels while ignoring the impacts on climate change.
New biodiesel mix aims to be cheaper
1 Oct 2010
Biodiesel made from vegetable oil and tallow is now available to the New Zealand public.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
Today 10:30am
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Carbon price steady after failed quarterly auction
Tue 16 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has continued to trade in its familiar moribund range in the high $50s following last week’s failed quarterly auction, with ample supply still trading on the secondary market at about $10 below this year’s $68 auction floor.
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.
'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.
UK foreign aid for nature hits £800m record due to cash for carbon credits
Tue 16 Sep 2025
The UK’s climate-aid spending on “nature protection and restoration” reached record levels of nearly £800m last year, according to government figures obtained by Carbon Brief.
No bidders front to carbon auction - again
10 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Today’s quarterly carbon auction was a non-event yet again, making it the third consecutive auction this year with no bidders, with the secondary market price still limping along at nearly 20% below the auction floor.
IEA reiterates ‘no new oil and gas needed’ if global warming is limited to 1.5C
Today 10:30am
The world would not need to invest in new oil and gas projects if demand for the fuels fell in line with the 1.5C limit on global warming, says the International Energy Agency.
'Atrocious' and 'bizarre': experts slam Act Party's climate policy
3 Sep 2025
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.
Industry struggles with double-digit power price hikes
Mon 15 Sep 2025
As power prices surge by double-digit amounts for the second year in a row, industrial users can’t keep absorbing cost increases, the Major Electricity Users’ Group says.
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.
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.”
Watts not considering removing electricity from ETS
Tue 16 Sep 2025
Energy and Climate Change Minister, Simon Watts, says he is “not currently considering” removing electricity generation from the Emissions Trading Scheme, as proposed by NZ First Minister Shane Jones.
Gentailers told to behave as ministers weigh Frontier review
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The chief executives of Contact, Meridian, Mercury and Genesis met Energy and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts on Thursday for their regular monthly session.
Declining sea-ice is altering Antarctic food webs
11 Sep 2025
A new study shows a significant change in Antarctic phytoplankton over time that could cascade through the marine food web and affect the ocean’s capacity as a carbon sink.
Science cuts will hold back climate research
Wed 17 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | A crisis in government-backed science funding is worsening, with dire implications for climate research in New Zealand, according to experts from the scientific community.
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
Indigenous forest 'islands' could help transition exotic plantations to native bush
11 Sep 2025
Native forest 'islands' within exotic plantations might be the key to transitioning plantations from exotic to Indigenous, according to new research.
Decline in global oil and gas field output accelerating, IEA says
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The decline in output from mature global oil and gas fields is accelerating amid greater reliance on shale and deep offshore resources.
A modest geothermal strategy
31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
Why mega-polluters have little to fear from the European Central Bank and its new climate policy
Fri 12 Sep 2025
The European Central Bank plans to raise borrowing costs for climate offenders – but a new FTM analysis shows that big polluters such as Shell will barely feel it.
Media round-up
5 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The great methane debate; law change scuppers legal challenge to irrigation scheme consent; and what are the energy and climate implications of the $7.5 billion Amazon Web Services data centre deal?
Coal imports up 650%
Fri 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.
Media round-up
29 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Changes to road user charges will increase New Zealand's emissions; Climate Change Minister Simon Watts promises better access to hazard data for homeowners; and Kiwis borrow over $1 billion in ‘green loans’ for heat pumps and electric cars.
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.
Young activists won a landmark state climate trial. Now they’re challenging Trump’s orders
Today 10:30am
Young climate activists and their attorneys who won a landmark global warming trial against the state of Montana are trying to convince a federal judge to block President Donald Trump’s executive orders promoting fossil fuels.
Forest carbon stores massive blind spot - study
4 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s planted forests hold significant deep soil organic carbon — with over half of it stored below 30 cm, and much of it over 1,000 years old.
Govt tweaks offshore energy bill with 'declared areas' model
Wed 17 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is making changes to the Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to address offshore wind developers' concerns about competing for space with other industries.
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.
A steady ocean pattern just failed for the first time ever observed
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The failure of the Gulf of Panama’s seasonal upwelling system has left scientists wondering what happens next.
Watts full-throated in National’s support for Paris
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts came to this week’s Climate Change and Business Conference with nothing to announce.
Govt resilience plan 'dangerous fantasy' - thinktank
29 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An independent thinktank, whose members include former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer and multiple academics, is warning that the government’s long-term resilience strategy ignores physical and energy realities and exposes Kiwi households and businesses to systemic failure.
‘Plastic Cup’ competitions are cleaning up rivers in Hungary
1 Sep 2025
Afloat on DIY boats, teams of volunteers have removed over 450 tons of plastic waste from the Danube and its tributaries.
Can certificates solve NZ's heavy vehicle emissions problem?
Today 10:30am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Sustainable Business Council has launched a new framework for a national system to cut freight emissions.
Climate change collaboration and competition law
Today 10:30am
By Pattrick Smellie | The revamped competition law regime needs to be able to take into account the benefits of companies that collaborate for action on climate change, says the panel that reviewed both the Commerce Commission and the Commerce Act.
Underestimating support for climate action limits political decision making, study says
8 Sep 2025
Research reveals huge disparity between perceived and actual willingness of public to contribute to fixing climate.
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.
One city’s race to ‘solarise everything we possibly can’
Today 10:30am
Bordeaux is quickly transforming itself into France’s top solar-powered city, banking on innovations like transparent panels that preserve its historic architecture.
The ozone hole continues to recover thanks to international action
Wed 17 Sep 2025
Media release: World Meteorological Organization (WMO) | The Earth’s protective ozone layer is healing and the ozone hole in 2024 was smaller than in recent years, according to a new report.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Ara Ake backs 13 projects to unlock NZ’s energy flexibility
11 Sep 2025
Media release | Ara Ake has approved over $600,000 in funding from the National Flex Discovery Fund for 13 flexibility service providers (FSPs).
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.
Most EU carmakers on track to meet emission targets: study
10 Sep 2025
Almost all European carmakers are on track to meet EU emission targets after winning a reprieve this year as electric vehicles (EV) sales pick up, a study showed.
Hotter, longer, more frequent: NZ’s escalating heat risk
26 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Heat extremes in New Zealand will intensify faster than previously thought, according to a new study.
Echo Tech secures growth investment to tackle NZ's e-waste crisis
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Media release | Echo Tech Limited, New Zealand’s leading provider of e-waste recycling and IT asset recovery services, is proud to announce a strategic investment from growth equity firm Altered Capital.
La Niña set to prolong NZ hydro shortfall
9 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With La Niña favouring a drier-than-normal spring across much of the South Island, hydro lakes are unlikely to recover without substantial rain and late snowmelt – keeping national storage levels below average.
Record UK wildfires have burned an area twice the size of Glasgow in 2025
12 Aug 2025
Wildfires have scorched more than 40,000 hectares of land so far this year across the UK – an area more than twice the size of the Scottish city of Glasgow.
Which countries are scaling solar and wind the fastest?
Fri 12 Sep 2025
The leaderboard is quite different depending on what metric you look at.
