Long-term Funding For Ara Ake Good For Renewable Gas

GasNZ welcomes today’s announcement from Ara Ake – New Zealand’s future energy research centre – that it has received an additional $70 million of funding over 10 years from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

GasNZ chief executive Janet Carson says that as a shareholder of Ara Ake, it is extremely pleasing that the government has given the centre long-term certainty of funding to allow it to progress its innovative work programme to support decarbonisation.

“Our industry ambition is that renewable gas is a material part of the energy mix over the next decade. This funding provides an excellent opportunity to see how working together we can make that happen.

“Efficient and innovative use of natural gas is vital for New Zealand’s transition to low-carbon energy, but gas itself is a fuel in transition to low-carbon alternatives,” she says.

“Ara Ake’s research provides a valuable input into finding those solutions.”

“As the Minister of Energy and Resources, Hon Dr Megan Woods said, decarbonisation does not mean deindustrialisation. GasNZ is keen to work with Ara Ake on opportunities to grow the renewable gas sector.

In April 2023, Ara Ake joined GasNZ and Bioenergy Australia on a renewable gas tour of Australia and saw first-hand the range of biogas projects being undertaken in Australia.

The energy system in Australia is very different to New Zealand’s, Carson says.

As a result, the biogas is being used to generate renewable electricity, however in New Zealand there is a strong case for it to be processed to pipeline standard and injected in the pipeline.

“With long term funding secured, there are a range of possibilities we hope Ara Ake will explore with us to get more low carbon energy into our homes and businesses,” Carson says.

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