The electricity sector will make the greatest contribution
to decarbonising our country
It will provide 70% of gross emissions reductions required
to reach our net zero carbon target
For Aotearoa New Zealand to reach net zero - electricity is critical
We can get there by electrifying our transport, industrial processes
and buildings; powered by New Zealand's abundant renewable energy:
hydro, wind, solar and geothermal
What does the future look like for Aotearoa New Zealand?
In our “The Future is Electric” report, we have established a vision
and decarbonisation roadmap for the sector which delivers
more affordable energy to New Zealanders and ongoing reliable electricity
The 2020s are critical to kickstarting
the electrification of transport, industry, and buildings
Under our roadmap, the electricity sector will be delivering
98% renewable electricity by 2030, and the foundations for large scale
electrification in the 2030s and 2040s will be in place
To deliver this, the electricity system needs unprecedented investment
In the 2020s alone, more than 40 billion dollars will be needed
for renewable generation, flexible energy resources, transmission
and distribution infrastructure, and smart system technologies
Along with investment, the sector and government need to navigate
four key areas for New Zealand's electric future
The sector has started on this decarbonisation journey
Our report presents a view of the activity taking place across the sector
It gives us a baseline
Are we doing enough to meet the needs of the future electricity sector?
By 2030, we need to build five gigawatts of renewable generation –
equivalent to almost 800 new wind turbines and 4 million solar panels.
These solar panels alone would cover over a thousand rugby fields
A strong renewable electricity pipeline exists to deliver this,
and many projects are already underway
We're also going to need new flexible supply side and demand side resources
to make peak demand and dry year energy needs,
for which industry and government have a number of key initiatives underway
And this decade we also need
to invest 30 billion in our transmission and distribution networks
Significant planning is occurring to deliver this
and some projects are underway
Some policy, regulation and market changes are needed
New Zealand's future is electric
Let's harness the exciting potential of renewable electricity
to electrify and decarbonise Aotearoa New Zealand