New report on NZ’s energy future to 2050

New report on NZ’s energy future to 2050 highlights future choices

The BusinessNZ Energy Council (BEC) today launches a new report - New Zealand Energy Scenarios: Navigating energy futures to 2050 – which outlines two different scenarios of what New Zealand’s energy future could look like over the next 35 years.

The scenarios – ‘Kayak’ and ‘Waka’ – are designed to help us consider where we could find ourselves in 2050.

Hon. David Caygill, BEC Chair says, “New Zealand, like the rest of the world, is facing rapidly changing energy needs, emerging technologies and an uncertain energy future. It needs to make choices on the nature of our economy and society, and how to meet our associated energy needs.

“New Zealand is in a unique and globally enviable position, with many advantages – such as an abundance of renewable energy. But this does not mean we have an endless low cost supply.

“We must ultimately make hard choices that balance energy policy outcomes across the dimensions of energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability.

“How well we do this, the choices and the trade-offs required, will define our energy future and affect our way of life in very different ways.

“This report is intended to aid our thinking and provoke debate.

“The BEC scenarios are an important step to providing a common framework and vocabulary to support this debate.

"They show that transformative change is possible, and our abundance of renewable sources of energy presents us with opportunities for transformative change, particularly in our light vehicle fleet.

“Leveraging our renewables is no longer a conversation just about electricity – it’s about the whole energy supply chain. Consumers are forging a new relationship with energy and how it is both produced and consumed.

“Energy efficiency can play a crucial role in determining our future resource use. But the report shows that between now and 2050 we could still spend between $14.4 and $15.6 billion on new electricity generation assets.”

The BEC based its report on the World Energy Council’s (WEC) internationally respected framework that considers the need to balance energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability – the Energy Trilemma.

Dr Christoph Frei, Secretary General of the World Energy Council says, “Like the Council’s global scenarios, Kayak and Waka are not roadmaps. Instead, they seek to prepare New Zealand for a more diverse set of possible futures by asking the right questions to make better informed choices.”

“Government and business must work together to create a positive policy and investment climate that promotes new technology and innovation, and support energy sector developments,” says David Caygill.

The full report New Zealand Energy Scenarios: Navigating energy futures to 2050 can be found on www.bec.org.nz – click here for Snapshot summary report, Infographic andVideo.

ENDS

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