More renewables needed to counter rising electricity emissions
The effect of a dry year on electricity supply has been reflected in the latest figures released in New Zealand's annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
The figures for 2005 are now available, and show New Zealand's emissions rose 2.8 percent (2.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents) between 2004 and 2005.
The rise was largely due to an increased use of fossil-fuel thermal generation (coal and gas) to guarantee electricity supply after a sustained dry period in 2005 caused storage levels in hydro lakes to drop.
"This shows the importance of developing more renewable electricity generation, in order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change," Climate Change Minister David Parker said.
"Already this year Contact Energy has announced it is putting on hold development of further fossil fuel generation, as it advances $2 billion of renewables in the form of geothermal and wind generation.
"Mighty River Power has dropped plans to recommission its Marsden B coal-fired power station. We have 150 megawatts of wind power under construction, and more than a thousand megawatts that have consents, or are in the consenting process.
"New Zealanders are now taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and along with programmes already underway, and further initiatives being proposed, real progress will be made," David Parker said.
The Greenhouse Gas Inventory is prepared annually by the Ministry for the Environment with input from relevant government agencies and submitted in accordance with the requirements of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol.
Nearly half (49 percent) of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions are produced by the agriculture sector (livestock digestion and waste) and 43 percent from the energy sector (electricity and transport).
Background on New Zealand's Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990-2005
As a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Kyoto Protocol, New Zealand is required to submit an annual inventory of man-made (anthropogenic) emissions by sources and removals by sinks (ie, trees) of greenhouse gases.
The inventory submitted on 4 May 2007 contains data from 1990 to end of 2005. This is the latest data available and is based on a calendar year. Due to the complexity of compiling and analysing this information, the data published in any given year is 15 months behind.
The compilation of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory is a highly complex task that requires thousands of pieces of data to be sourced from Crown Research Institutes and relevant government agencies (including the Ministry for Economic Development and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry).
The following is a summary of New Zealand's emissions from the 1990-2005 inventory:
Total greenhouse gas emissions in 2005 were 77.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (Mt CO2-e)
In 2005 the agriculture sector contributed 48.5 percent of the total emissions. The energy sector contributed 43.4 percent. The balance of emissions was made up of industrial processes (5.6 percent), waste (2.4 percent) and solvents (0.1 percent)
The largest single source of emissions in 2005 was methane from enteric fermentation of ruminant animals (31.0 percent of the total emissions). Road transport was the next biggest source with a share of 16.4 percent of total emissions (total transport is 18.4 percent)
Emissions from the waste sector have decreased 0.6 Mt CO2-e (25.9 percent reduction)
Low-rainfall years affect the level of hydro lakes, which in turn reduces available hydro electricity supply. More fossil fuel-based thermal generation is then needed to ensure security of supply. As a result greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation rise. This was the case in 2005
The peak and trough pattern of emissions resulting from electricity production due to the availability of hydro electricity generation will remain a feature of New Zealand's greenhouse gas profile for some time.
The figures for 2005 are now available, and show New Zealand's emissions rose 2.8 percent (2.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents) between 2004 and 2005.
The rise was largely due to an increased use of fossil-fuel thermal generation (coal and gas) to guarantee electricity supply after a sustained dry period in 2005 caused storage levels in hydro lakes to drop.
"This shows the importance of developing more renewable electricity generation, in order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change," Climate Change Minister David Parker said.
"Already this year Contact Energy has announced it is putting on hold development of further fossil fuel generation, as it advances $2 billion of renewables in the form of geothermal and wind generation.
"Mighty River Power has dropped plans to recommission its Marsden B coal-fired power station. We have 150 megawatts of wind power under construction, and more than a thousand megawatts that have consents, or are in the consenting process.
"New Zealanders are now taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and along with programmes already underway, and further initiatives being proposed, real progress will be made," David Parker said.
The Greenhouse Gas Inventory is prepared annually by the Ministry for the Environment with input from relevant government agencies and submitted in accordance with the requirements of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol.
Nearly half (49 percent) of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions are produced by the agriculture sector (livestock digestion and waste) and 43 percent from the energy sector (electricity and transport).
Background on New Zealand's Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990-2005
As a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Kyoto Protocol, New Zealand is required to submit an annual inventory of man-made (anthropogenic) emissions by sources and removals by sinks (ie, trees) of greenhouse gases.
The inventory submitted on 4 May 2007 contains data from 1990 to end of 2005. This is the latest data available and is based on a calendar year. Due to the complexity of compiling and analysing this information, the data published in any given year is 15 months behind.
The compilation of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory is a highly complex task that requires thousands of pieces of data to be sourced from Crown Research Institutes and relevant government agencies (including the Ministry for Economic Development and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry).
The following is a summary of New Zealand's emissions from the 1990-2005 inventory:
Total greenhouse gas emissions in 2005 were 77.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (Mt CO2-e)
In 2005 the agriculture sector contributed 48.5 percent of the total emissions. The energy sector contributed 43.4 percent. The balance of emissions was made up of industrial processes (5.6 percent), waste (2.4 percent) and solvents (0.1 percent)
The largest single source of emissions in 2005 was methane from enteric fermentation of ruminant animals (31.0 percent of the total emissions). Road transport was the next biggest source with a share of 16.4 percent of total emissions (total transport is 18.4 percent)
Emissions from the waste sector have decreased 0.6 Mt CO2-e (25.9 percent reduction)
Low-rainfall years affect the level of hydro lakes, which in turn reduces available hydro electricity supply. More fossil fuel-based thermal generation is then needed to ensure security of supply. As a result greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation rise. This was the case in 2005
The peak and trough pattern of emissions resulting from electricity production due to the availability of hydro electricity generation will remain a feature of New Zealand's greenhouse gas profile for some time.