Thermal Electricity Generation at Record Level

New Zealand Energy Statistics: September 2005 quarter

Thermal Electricity Generation at Record Level

In the September 2005 quarter, generation of electricity using thermal energy reached the highest level recorded since the series began in 1960, Statistics New Zealand said today.

Thermal generation was 53.7 percent higher than in the September 2004 quarter. Generation by fossil fuels (gas and coal) reached the highest level recorded in any quarter, exceeding the previous record in September 2001. Geothermal and wind generation also increased in the September 2005 quarter.

Hydro and wind generation supplied 55 percent of the electricity generated in the September 2005 quarter, the lowest level recorded in any quarter since September 2001 when hydro and wind contributed 50 percent. The contribution that different fuel types make to the generation of electricity within each quarter can be volatile, being dependent on conditions such as the lake levels for hydro generation.

In the September 2005 quarter, seasonally adjusted electricity generation fell 2.3 percent compared with the June 2005 quarter, following an increase of 2.4 percent in the June 2005 quarter compared with the March 2005 quarter.

Total electricity generation in the September 2005 quarter was 2.0 percent lower than the record level in September 2004. For the September 2005 year, generation was 0.1 percent lower than in the September 2004 year.

Brian Pink
Government Statistician

ENDS