By Celsias Team
Posted on April 15, 2011. Listed in:
Earlier this week the Government announced its National Policy Statement (NPS) on Renewable Electricity Generation under the Resource Management Act, in a bid to encourage investment in wind, hydro and tidal power. But while it’s received the backing of some groups, like the EECA and not surprisingly the NZ Wind Energy Association, others are disappointed.
“This National Policy Statement is about Government recognising the importance of renewable energy and will help New Zealand meet its targets of 90 percent renewable electricity by 2025 and 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” says Minister for the Environment, Nick Smith.
The objective of the NPS, as stated in the opening pages (download here) is:
To recognise the national significance of renewable electricity generation activities by providing for the development, operation, maintenance and upgrading of new and existing renewable electricity generation activities, such that the proportion of New Zealand’s electricity generated from renewable energy sources increases to a level that meets or exceeds the New Zealand Government’s national target for renewable electricity generation.
Although the Kyoto commitment aimed to stabilise emmisons in 1990, Smith says electricity emissions have increased by 122 percent since 1990. And in explaining that figure, Smith points the finger at the Labour Government.
“Policy failed badly during the last decade when coal-generated power doubled and the Labour Government intervened to build new gas and diesel plants,” says Smith. “The NPS on Renewable Electricity Generation is part of a plan to reverse this negative trend.”
EECA chief executive Mike Underhill says renewable energy benefits not only the economy but also the environment.
“These benefits are articulated in the NPS so that they can be considered in all Resource Management Act consenting and planning processes,” says Underhill.
Meanwhile in a statement by New Zealand Wind Energy Association, chief executive Fraser Clark echoed similar benefits.
“Electricity is fundamental to our economy and well-being. New generation is required to meet growing electricity demand, and all options for meeting this demand come with some costs for the environment,” he says.
Naturally Fraser is particularly interested in the wind farming aspect of renewable energy and he says the NPS will help with what can be a tricky process of consent.
“The ongoing challenge in the consent process has been to find an appropriate balance between the numerous benefits of renewable generation and its local effects,” says Fraser. “The NPS will help decision makers find this balance while the framework set by the Resource Management Act will ensure projects continue to be developed in an environmentally responsible manner.”
But while the NPS has received positive words of encouragement from Clark and Underhill, the chief executive of the Bioenergy Association of New Zealand, Brian Cox, isn’t happy that the use of heat waste hasn’t been mentioned as a renewable energy option.
“At a time when the government is making a significant commitment to a renewable energy target, the omission of renewable heat from this NPS is difficult to understand, but it’s not unexpected.
“One of the most disappointing aspects of this announcement is that many Council’s are blessed with significant wood resources that could have been put to good use for heat with minimal additional expenditure. It’s a lost opportunity on a number of levels,” says Cox.
In its written submission in 2008 and in an oral submission in 2009 BANZ indicated its general support for the NPS but highlighted that many of the proposed policies and plans associated with electricity generation could readily be adapted to heat, biogas and liquid biofuel applications.
Cox explained that heat, biogas and liquid biofuel projects generally have a more local rather than national impact than many electricity generation projects. However because of local interests, the potential for local adverse impacts to be argued as outweighing the broader national interest often occurs. In its submission BANZ drew this comparison and encouraged the broadening of the NPS to cover all forms of renewable energy.
