Topics tagged with 'Energy'
African countries redefine energy transition, urge more fossil fuel investments ahead of climate negotiations
11 Oct 2022
High-ranking officials in the African Union as well as energy ministers from several African countries have used the Africa Oil Week and Green Energy Africa summit this week to call for more fossil fuel investments and greater energy access ahead of UN climate negotiations to be held in Egypt next month.
Europeans are hoarding wood, cleaning chimneys, and mulling horse dung as winter looms in an energy crisis
10 Oct 2022
As much as 70% of European heating comes from natural gas and electricity, and with Russian deliveries drastically reduced, wood — already used by some 40 million people for heating — has become a sought-after commodity.
Gujarat: Modhera to be declared first solar-powered village by PM
10 Oct 2022
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will declare Modhera in Mehsana as the country’s first round-the-clock solar-powered village on October 9 during his three-day visit to Gujarat, stated an official release.
Forest & Bird calls on government to ditch 100% renewable electricity goal
7 Oct 2022
Forest & Bird is calling on the government to rethink its goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2030.
Our solar powered future is already China’s reality
6 Oct 2022
Atop the Tibetan plateau in Qinghai province, northern China, sits the Longyangxia Dam facility, a 27-square-kilometer solar farm that is filled with a sea of four million deep blue-colored photovoltaic panels.
How to ensure the world’s largest pumped-hydro project isn’t a disaster for the environment
6 Oct 2022
Queensland’s ambitious new plan involves shifting from a coal-dominated electricity grid to 80% renewables within 13 years, using 22 gigawatts of new wind and solar.
Hawke's Bay to develop emissions reduction plan
5 Oct 2022
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has voted to develop the region’s first emissions reduction plan, aiming to reach net zero by 2050.
New agreement with mana whenua over Tiwai Smelter
5 Oct 2022
Media Release - Murihiku Rūnaka and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu have reached an agreement with New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Limited (NZAS) and Rio Tinto Aluminum Limited to work together on restoring the whenua (land) at the Tiwai Peninsula and the future of the Tiwai aluminium smelter beyond December 2024.
Wind, solar investors threaten to leave Europe because of revenue cap
5 Oct 2022
European wind and solar power industries associations warned that investments could go elsewhere after EU energy ministers voted to introduce revenue caps for wind, solar, nuclear and coal power generation.
The world should fast track green energy. But not because of climate change
5 Oct 2022
A rapid transition to green energy is likely to save the world trillions of dollars compared to sticking with the current fossil fuel-based energy system, according to a new analysis.
WA project looks to produce ‘carbon-neutral gold’ with 13 MW solar, wind, battery hybrid solution
5 Oct 2022
Australian gold miner Bellevue Gold has entered an agreement with distributed energy provider Energy Developments Pty Ltd (EDL) for an off-grid solar, wind and battery hybrid power station for the flagship project it is developing in central Western Australia.
Carbon dioxide price surge 'could add £1.7bn to cost of UK groceries'
4 Oct 2022
The surging cost of carbon dioxide could add £1.7 billion to the cost of British groceries, according to new analysis. Research by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) suggests that the UK’s food and drink sector could end up footing the mammoth extra bill for liquid CO2 if gas prices remain high.
Gas production costs in Queensland's Lake Eyre Basin will be 'staggering', report claims
4 Oct 2022
Gas exploration projects in Queensland's Channel Country will be expensive to produce, generate "significant" carbon emissions and are likely to be abandoned, a report has found.
South Canterbury waste-to-energy plant applies for consent
30 Sep 2022
The company planning a controversial waste-to-energy plant near Waimate in South Canterbury has lodged its consent application with Environment Canterbury and Waimate District Council.
Nord Stream pipeline leaks are ‘catastrophic for the climate’
30 Sep 2022
Methane leaking from yet-to-be explained damage on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines is likely to be the biggest burst of the potent greenhouse gas on record, raising new fears of the effect on the climate emergency.
Hurricane Ian: When the power grid goes out, could solar and batteries power your home?
30 Sep 2022
Hurricane Ian’s catastrophic winds and flooding are likely to bring long-lasting power outages to large parts of Florida. The storm is the latest in a line of hurricanes and extreme heat and cold events that have knocked out power to millions of Americans in recent years for days at a time.
Bitcoin climate impact greater than gold mining, study shows
30 Sep 2022
Bitcoin is less “digital gold” and more “digital beef”, according to a study that suggests the cryptocurrency has a climate impact greater than that of gold mining and on the level of natural gas extraction or rearing cattle for meat.
Queensland plans “supergrid” and world’s biggest pumped hydro
29 Sep 2022
The Queensland government’s new 10-year energy and jobs plan includes plans for 22GW of new wind and solar, and 11.5GW of rooftop solar, and also includes a new “super grid” and what it says will be the biggest pumped hydro project in the world.
How the EU's new energy plans impact Southeast Asia
29 Sep 2022
As European countries turn to energy suppliers in Southeast Asia, driving up global prices, there are concerns that other developing countries are being forced to spend more on increasingly expensive liquified natural gas or coal.
CTU proposes a Ministry of Green Works
28 Sep 2022
The Council of Combined Trade Unions is proposing a Ministry of Green Works to ensure a just transition to a zero carbon economy.
Europe’s energy crisis is destroying the multipolar world
28 Sep 2022
The energy crisis provoked by the war in Ukraine may prove so economically destructive to both Russia and the European Union that it could eventually diminish both as great powers on the world stage.
Onslow and the energy trilemma
27 Sep 2022
Mercury New Zealand chair Prue Flacks said she hopes the Government considers all parts of the energy trilemma when it comes to making decisions following the work of the NZ Battery project.
What many progressives misunderstand about fighting climate change
27 Sep 2022
Since the 1960s, fighting for the environment has frequently meant fighting against corporations. To curb pollution, activists have worked to thwart new oil drilling, coal-fired power plants, fracking for natural gas, and fuel pipelines. But today, Americans face a climate challenge that can’t be solved by just saying no again and again.
Puerto Rico is in the dark again, but solar companies see glimmers of hope
23 Sep 2022
Much of Puerto Rico is still without power after Hurricane Fiona battered the island on Sept. 19. The storm laid bare how vulnerable the territory's power system still is five years after Hurricane Maria plunged it into an 11-month blackout — the longest in American history — and led to the deaths of almost 3,000 people. Yet, some see hope.
International "collaboration gap" threatens to undermine climate progress and delay net zero by decades
21 Sep 2022
A new IEA report sets out urgent priorities to rapidly make more clean technologies the most affordable options in key sectors
Victoria urged to shoot for net-zero by 2034, after 2020 emissions target “smashed”
21 Sep 2022
Victoria is being challenged to shoot for net-zero emissions more than 16 years ahead of schedule – an easy target according to modelling based on new data showing the government has beaten its 2020 target by nearly 10 per cent.
Squaring off between carbon taxes and renewable energy incentives
21 Sep 2022
Some European renewable energy producers are concerned that the EU may lose green energy investments to the United States in the wake of recently enacted U.S. legislation.
Blackrock moves into NZ energy sector
20 Sep 2022
The acquisition of solarZero by BlackRock Real Assets opens up the possibility of considerable investment in distributed solar in New Zealand and also the potential to expand the company’s model overseas.
First public global database of fossil fuels launched as UN holds climate talks
20 Sep 2022
A first-of-its-kind database for tracking the world’s fossil fuel production, reserves and emissions was launched on Monday to coincide with climate talks taking place at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Japanese, Australian firms collaborate on world's tallest timber tower
19 Sep 2022
Construction firms from Japan and Australia have started work on a 182-meter-high skyscraper in central Sydney in a collaboration to build what will be the world's tallest hybrid-timber building using an eco-friendly wood product.
Climate action could cure Australia's cost of living crisis, starting with 100 pct renewables
14 Sep 2022
Investment in climate change initiatives could be a solution to Australia’s cost of living pressures, with a new report subverting a decade’s worth of arguments that action on emissions would hurt back pockets.
Energy crisis: the UK is still heading for widespread fuel poverty – despite the government’s price cap
14 Sep 2022
In October 2021, an estimated 4 million households in the UK were in fuel poverty. But the largest increase in gas and electricity prices ever in April 2022 has pushed a further 2.7 million UK households into fuel poverty, bringing the total number to 6.7 million.
Low carbon homes could boost economy by $150 billion, slash emissions by 30 million tonnes
13 Sep 2022
Changes to the construction sector could give the economy a $150 billion boost, as well as slashing 30 million tonnes of CO2-e by 2050, a new study has found.
Floating solar farms are a game changer
13 Sep 2022
The sun’s power is virtually infinite — opportunities to collect and make use of it are not. As demand for renewable energy increases, so does the need for places to generate it.
Government promises favourable consent regime for renewable energy
12 Sep 2022
By Ian Llewellyn - Energy & Environment | Energy minister Megan Woods says a new regulatory framework for the development of offshore wind should be in place by 2024 and a discussion document was being put together on strengthening national direction for renewable electricity generation and transmission.
Global drought saps hydropower, complicating clean-energy push
12 Sep 2022
Dry conditions in the U.S, Europe and China have raised questions about how hydropower fits into changing energy mix.
Best by the rest...
9 Sep 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: A proposed 400 megawatt solar power station near Taupō will be pitched for resource consent later this month; experts urge changes in forestry and farming; and wallabies are quickly becoming an invasive species.
How waves could power a clean energy future
9 Sep 2022
Waves off the coast of the U.S. could generate 2.64 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity per year — that’s about 64% of last year’s total utility-scale electricity generation in America.
Switching the world to renewable energy would cost $62 trillion, but the payback would take six years
8 Sep 2022
Researchers at Stanford University have published a new study which says that claims 145 of the world’s nations could switch to 100% renewable energy in a few years using renewable energy technologies available today.
China droughts highlight energy challenge as climate heats up
8 Sep 2022
Hotter weather is expected to push China's enormous energy consumption even higher in the coming years.
Why defusing 'carbon bombs' offers a promising new agenda for tackling climate change
6 Sep 2022
A carbon bomb is a fossil fuel extraction project, such as a coal mine, that can cause over a metric gigaton of CO₂ emissions during its lifetime. That's a billion tons—more than twice the UK's annual emissions from a single project.
Europe is bracing for a brutal, cold winter
6 Sep 2022
European governments are scrambling to avert a full-scale energy crisis after Russia’s last-minute decision to halt gas deliveries through the key Nord Stream pipeline indefinitely.
How Indian EV startups are mobilising mass adoption
6 Sep 2022
The Indian automobile industry is the fifth largest in the world, with a goal of becoming the third largest by 2030.
Wholesale electricity prices too high to support electrification
5 Sep 2022
By Ian Llewellyn - Energy & Environment | The current price of wholesale electricity is too expensive to support the electrification of heavy industry, says the chair of the Major Electricity Users Group John Harbord.
World’s largest wind farm begins full operation off the coast of Yorkshire
5 Sep 2022
The world’s largest completed wind farm, the 1.3GW Hornsea 2 project off the coast of Yorkshire, is now in full operation, according to its developer, the Danish energy giant Ørsted.
Municipalities can overcome Europe’s fossil-fuel addiction
5 Sep 2022
Europe’s fossil-fuel addiction is painfully clear amid the global energy crisis and the unfolding horrors in Ukraine.
Indonesia’s push to reach net zero emissions can help power a new phase in its economic development
5 Sep 2022
Indonesia has a target to meet net zero emissions by 2060, and is reaching a new phase of economic development to do so.
Central Otago grower world’s first to go fossil fuel free
2 Sep 2022
By Liz Kivi | A Central Otago cherry grower believes they are the first in the world to operate a commercial food orchard without burning any fossil fuels.
Wooden cities ‘could save more than 100bn tonnes of CO2 by 2100’
2 Sep 2022
Housing a growing population in homes made out of wood instead of conventional steel and concrete could avoid more than 100 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions until 2100.
Inside the ‘energy villages’ powering Germany’s green transition
1 Sep 2022
Neighbours in the Black Forest region of Germany have come together to create a community power plant, in a quest to achieve energy sovereignty.
Bill to ban new coal mines fails at first reading
Fri 24 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A bid to outlaw new coal mines was defeated at its first hurdle in Parliament this week, after a heated debate pitting climate imperatives against energy security and affordability.
'It was the start of a new movement': The Dutch rewilding project that took a dark turn
Fri 24 Oct 2025
In 2018, thousands of dead animals, emaciated from starvation, lay strewn across a famous Dutch rewilding project. Was it animal cruelty or just nature taking its course?
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
Wed 22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
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.
Just 28% of countries have released nature pledges a year after UN deadline
Thu 23 Oct 2025
Only 28% of countries have met a UN call to submit new plans on addressing nature loss – a year after the original deadline.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
Thu 23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
‘Plain old dull’: NZU market continues to limp sideways
Fri 24 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The NZU market has been “plain old dull” in recent months, with activity driven mainly by credit opportunities or a specific need to raise cash, according to Lizzie Chambers of trading platform Carbon Match.
Is greenhushing the new greenwashing? Or something else entirely
Fri 24 Oct 2025
Companies used to be accused of faking sustainability via greenwashing. Now some are hiding actual climate progress.
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.
Genesis doubles down on Huntly as renewables ramp up
Fri 24 Oct 2025
Genesis Energy is doubling down on Huntly’s role as New Zealand’s energy backstop while accelerating one of the country’s largest pipelines of new renewable generation.
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.
Carbon Finance Program upscales efforts to close climate investment gap in climate vulnerable nations
Wed 22 Oct 2025
Media release | The Climate Vulnerable Forum and its V20 Finance Ministers (CVF-V20) will work with the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) to upscale the Carbon Finance Program in reach and impact, supporting more climate-vulnerable countries to host high-integrity carbon projects that yield tangible climate, nature, and sustainable development benefits.
All carrot, no stick for farmers on methane
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.
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.
Media round-up
Fri 24 Oct 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The Government planned to gut New Zealand's world-leading climate disclosure law - even as it bragged about it on the world stage; a new Indigenous climate adaptation network launches; and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts admits that the new methane target might breach the global 1.5C goal.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
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.
EU plans deforestation delay only for small businesses
Wed 22 Oct 2025
The proposal will need approval of co-legislators, EU countries at the Council and MEPs, who can still push for more changes to the legislation.
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.”
Super Fund smashes decarbonisation goals
Thu 23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The New Zealand Superannuation Fund continues to blow through its self-imposed targets for decarbonising its investment portfolio, increasing its exposure to fast-growing green technology opportunities in the process, according to its 2025 climate statement.
No major banks have yet committed to stop funding new oil, gas and coal, research finds
Fri 24 Oct 2025
‘The objectives of the Paris agreement are slipping further out of reach,’ say researchers.
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.
On Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, residents fume as insurers hike rates and invest in fossil fuel projects
Wed 22 Oct 2025
Locals face a perfect storm — they can’t afford insurance and climate change threatens their livelihood.
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
17 Oct 2025
Plaintiffs had ‘overwhelming evidence’ of climate crisis but a court injunction would be ‘unworkable’, ruling says.
Nelson commuters urged to ditch car once a week
Wed 22 Oct 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Nelson has a bold carbon emission reduction target and residents are being encouraged to leave the car at home one day a week to help meet it.
US, Australia to invest $2 billion in critical minerals, advance Alcoa gallium project
Thu 23 Oct 2025
The United States and Australia extended financial support to several Australian companies as part of a wide-ranging critical minerals agreement aimed at countering China's hold over the industry.
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'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.
Climate impacts hit NZ with increasing wild weather
Thu 23 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is facing a triple whammy of climate impacts today, with severe winds and rainfall predicted for much of the country while some areas are still dealing with wildfires ignited earlier in the week.
‘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.
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.
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.
Difficult trade-offs ahead for climate adaptation
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.
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
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.
NZ abstains from vote on global shipping carbon tax
Wed 22 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government says it held back from endorsing the International Maritime Organization’s Net-Zero Framework over fears the plan could raise costs for exporters and importers.
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.
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.
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.
‘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.
