Irish dependence on electricity generated by imported gas is so powerful a spur to new wind farming there that by 2020 well over a third of the country’s requirements will be met by wind turbines.
The southernmost and coldest wind farm in the world was completed this year thanks to a collaborative effort between New Zealand and the US, and innovative designs by Kiwi engineers and construction teams.
Offshore petroleum exploration is busier than it has been for years, with projects planned from near the tip of the North Island down to the bottom of the South Island.
After last year’s slowdown, onshore oil and gas exploration activity is now accelerating, with multiple wells being drilled in many regions – from Waikato to Southland.
The arrival of the experienced US deepwater oil explorer Anadarko Petroleum is likely to mark a major turning point in oil exploration in this country.
A scheme that revitalised an abandoned 250-kW hydro scheme on the Onekaka River can thank a small group of enthusiasts who battled today’s environmental red tape nightmare to become investors in valuable renewable electricity.
Pike River is our second largest export coal mine, producing over 17 million export tonnes of premium hard coking coal over the next 18 years. Getting the West Coast mine into production has been an exercise in dogged persistence.
Ken Rivers, CEO of the New Zealand Refining Company, explains his obsession with industry safety.
The rebuild of the national grid is underway but Transpower can’t guarantee that there won’t be further outages in the north between now and 2014 when the project is completed.
EnergyNZ reports on the Power Conference held in Auckland where the message was, ‘our natural resources are under-valued and under-used’.
The industry was invited to make comments on the Electricity Commission’s Annual Security Assessment 2009. This is a precise of a submission by consulting engineer Bryan Leyland who argues that the Electricity Commission has over-estimated our capacity.
While there is strong concern over opening Schedule 4 land to mining, there is little public awareness of the current protections against adverse and potentially negative impacts of such activities.
Jim Hopkins explains why we have to start digging for a greener future and stave off a calamity that could see the Age of Sustainability cancelled.
Irish lessons for wind
Harnessing a cold wind
Extensive offshore exploration
Onshore exploration ramped up
Getting into deepwater
A lesson in small hydro
Pike River - A long haul
A passion for safety
Keys to prosperity
Why the EC has got it wrong
Crown land already protected
Dig for green victory