Increased coal burning shows why we need natural gas
News that coal-fired electricity generation has reached a five-year high shows why we need to keep exploring for natural gas, says the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ).
鈥淲hen the lakes are low and natural gas is unavailable, it鈥檚 coal that keeps the lights on 鈥� even though it has twice the emissions of natural gas,鈥� says PEPANZ CEO Cameron Madgwick.
鈥淭his shows exactly why ending new exploration for natural gas is such a bad move, both economically and environmentally.
鈥淲e now have around seven years of natural gas supply left and no plan on what to replace it with, other than burning more coal and importing LNG from overseas. Both of these options will mean higher prices for consumers and higher emissions.
鈥淰ivid Economics estimated last year that replacing natural gas could cost up to $2,700 per household per year, or $52 per week extra in increased costs.
鈥淪olar power will be an important part of the energy mix, but it isn鈥檛 much help after dark and battery technology is still prohibitively expensive.
鈥淎 pragmatic way forward would be for the Government to ask the Climate Change Committee and the Electricity Authority to consider the role of natural gas as part of its work on New Zealand鈥檚 energy system.鈥�