Energy data shows continued growth in renewables

The latest New Zealand Energy Quarterly, covering April to June 2022, provides quarterly data and analysis on energy supply, demand, prices, and associated greenhouse gas emissions.

“The renewable share of electricity generation for the quarter was 81%, up from 75% for the same quarter a year ago,” says Mike Hayward, Manager, Markets in the Digital, Data & Insights group.

The increased generation from renewables – driven by more hydroelectric, geothermal, and wind generation – led to a decreased reliance on coal. Electricity generation from coal was down 61.9% from the June quarter last year,” Mike Hayward says.

Hydro generation was driven by an increase in rainfall in the North Island, while overall hydro generation in the South Island experienced a decrease. Geothermal and wind generation increased due to new capacity from the Turitea wind farm and some geothermal plants coming back online after maintenance.

The closure of the Marsden Point refinery on 31 March 2022 also means this is the first quarter since the 1960s with no refining activity in New Zealand. This resulted in refinery activity and crude oil imports dropping to zero, as the refinery was the only user of crude oil. Petrol and diesel consumption also fell 9.9% and 1.6%, compared to last year.

A scheduled outage at the Maui Field (New Zealand’s largest natural gas field) between May and June 2022 also contributed to an 11% fall in natural gas production. The chemical sector cut consumption accordingly, and overall natural gas consumption was down 9% compared to the previous June quarter.

For more insights, visit the Energy Quarterly webpage, or the New Zealand Energy Dashboard.

New Zealand Energy Quarterly(external link)

New Zealand Energy Dashboard(external link)