The resource consent hearings lasted an exhausting six months, but the Wairau Valley hydro-electricity scheme is the better for it, and is on the way to becoming a reality and providing much needed security of supply to the region.
Energy NZ spends a morning in Mighty River Power’s Trading Room in Hamilton, watching the harnessing of the mighty Waikato River.
The industry is on the verge of producing gas direct from coal seams at a gas field near Huntly, south of Auckland, which could be as big as the Kupe gas field. The project is a breakthrough for the local energy scene, as it is the first to draw commercial quantities of gas directly from a coal bed.
The geothermal industry is in a growth phase, says association chief Brian White. Total consumption in 2006 was 38,740GW and has been escalating by about 660GW every year over the past three decades.
A potential scrap over Antarctic sovereignty and the region’s resources looms if territorial claimants start to demand slices of the Southern Ocean seabed.
On whichever side your energy opinions fall – fossil fuel or renewable power – the whole world has gone crazy on the latter. New Zealand should seize its competitive advantage in this respect, says Fraser Clark, chief of the NZ Wind Energy Association.
The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol kicked in this year and also signalled the start of New Zealand’s obligations under the arrangement. Energy specialist Chris Taylor explains what it all means, and compares the Government’s ETS with the EU-ETS.
Members featured in this Energy NZ special regional focus include: Port Taranaki, Asia-Pacific service consultancy Beca, remote digital video specialists Digital Insight, Helicopters New Zealand, cable manufacturer Olex, and training provider M&O Pacific.
