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December 2023 summary

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This is the web version of the New Zealand Energy Quarterly December 2023 Summary.

Download the PDF and word versions:

New Zealand Energy Quarterly December 2023 summary [PDF, 403 KB]

New Zealand Energy Quarterly December 2023 summary [DOCX, 925 KB]

Increased renewable generation capacity for December quarter

The renewable share of electricity generation was 90.3% for the October to December 2023 quarter.

Electricity generation from wind reached a record high of 977 GWh for the quarter and represents an increase of 32.9% compared to the same period last year. There was also a record of 125 GWh of electricity generation from grid connected solar for the quarter.

The Harapaki Wind Farm and the Kaitaia solar farm began operation this quarter, which contributed to the increase in renewable generation. Grid connected solar capacity increased from 2.1 MW to 23.7 MW, and wind capacity will increase by 176MW once the Harapaki Wind Farm is fully operational.

The renewable share of electricity generation remained high, despite hydro inflows being lower than average. Hydro generation was 12% lower than in the previous year’s December quarter, largely due to low rainfall.

The lower hydro inflows resulted in an increase in coal and gas use to meet demand. Despite this, coal and gas-based generation made up just 3.5% and 6.1% of total generation respectively. 

Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation increased by 352 kt CO2-e (93%) when compared to the same period in 2022. This increase was driven largely by the increase in coal-fired generation.

International aviation fuel use increased 51% on the previous year’s December quarter. This continued the longer term trend and recovery from the drop caused by travel restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more information on energy use in New Zealand

Electricity generation from hydroelectric and geothermal sources
A time series chart showing electricity generation from hydroelectric and geothermal sources, from 2014 until 2024. Hydroelectric fluctuates in a band of about 1000 GWh, trending up from about 6000 GWh in 2014 to about 7000 GWh by 2024. Geothermal is much flatter and has remained at about 2000 GWh.
Electricity generation from solar and wind sources
A time series chart showing electricity generation from solar and wind sources, from 2014 until 2024. Wind is fluctuating but trending upwards over time, with a dramatic increase in 2023-2024 to reach nearly 1000 GWh. Solar is much lower and flatter, but increasing slowly over time to reach about 125 GWh in 2024.
Electricity generation from coal and gas
A time series chart showing electricity generation from coal and gas, from 2014 until 2024. Coal generation has largely fluctuated around 500 GWh, with the notable exception of 2021, where it rose to about 1300 GWh. Gas has trended downwards from about 1700 GWh in 2014 to about 700 GWh in 2024, but with significant fluctuations of up to 1100 GWh.
Electricity from renewable sources
A time series chart showing electricity generation from renewable sources, from 2014 until 2024. Electricity generation from renewable sources has trended upwards from about 80% in 2014 to about 90% in 2024, but with significant fluctuations, especially around 2021-2022 with fluctuations of more than 10%.
CO2-e emissions from electricity generation
A time series chart showing carbon emissions from electricity generation, from 2014 until 2024. Carbon emissions have trended downwards from about 1250 kt in 2014 to about 750 kt in 2024. There have been considerable fluctuations, the most notable being a dramatic drop of nearly 1500 kt in 2021 after a gradual increase to about 2000kt in the year beforehand.
Jet fuel consumption
A time series chart showing domestic and international jet fuel consumption, from 2014 until 2024. International jet fuel trends upwards until dropping dramatically in 2020 from nearly 2.5 million barrels to just over 0.5 million barrels. Plateauing until 2022, it then trends upwards to reach 2 million barrels in 2024. Domestic jet fuel also experienced a drop in 2020 but recovered much faster and has otherwise gradually trended upwards from 0.5 million barrels with minimal fluctuations to reach about 0.8 million barrels in 2024.

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