IPENZ director of policy Tim Davin has called the government's bluff on its commitment to renewable energy resources.He told journalists at a Science Media Centre briefing that the government's “aspirational but achievable” goal of 90% of elec
IPENZ director of policy Tim Davin has called the government’s bluff on its commitment to renewable energy resources.
He told journalists at a Science Media Centre briefing that the government’s “aspirational but achievable” goal of 90% of electricity generated from renewable sources by 2025 was an unlikely prospect.
IPENZ research shows that if all the electricity projects currently under construction or consented to are built, and any additional generation comes from wind, then about 68% of electricity will be from renewable sources in 2025.
The current level of electricity generated from renewables – wind, geothermal and hydro - is 73%.
Mr Davin described two scenarios proposed by the Electricity Commission to enable the 90% target to be met as “quite unrealistic”.
The first involves the closure of 70% of coal and gas-fired Huntly power station, operated by state-owned Genesis Energy, and about 500MW of current generation going offstream in response to prices.
The second requires the closure of 50% of Huntly and two major gas plants.
This scale of shift away from thermal generation is “probably unlikely”, Mr Davin said, and especially if the mode of new generation projects continues to be left up to the market.
He would like to see more direct intervention by government to promote renewable energy generation and regulate against energy inefficient products.
From a policy perspective, Mr Davin recommended that the draft Energy Strategy and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy be collapsed into a single document with consistent objectives.
Submissions on both documents close today.
