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September 2023 summary

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This is the web version of the New Zealand Energy Quarterly September 2023 Summary.

Download the PDF and word versions:

New Zealand Energy Quarterly September 2023 summary [PDF, 402 KB]

New Zealand Energy Quarterly September 2023 summary [DOCX, 1.1 MB]

Record wind generation for September quarter

Electricity generation from wind reached 920 GWh in the quarter ending September 2023, an increase of 19.1% on the same quarter last year.

Mercury’s Turitea wind farm reached full capacity at the end of June 2023. Increased capacity and strong winds helped generation from wind reach eight per cent of New Zealand’s total electricity generation for the quarter.

Overall, the share of electricity generation by renewable sources for the quarter was 84.1%, a drop of 5.5 percentage points on the same period last year. Hydro generation decreased 10.6% due to lower rainfall and planned outages at hydroelectric plants.

To meet demand, electricity generation from coal increased by 90% and from gas by 47% when compared to the previous September quarter. This contributed to a 64.4% increase in greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation.

Jet fuel use continued to increase this quarter as domestic and international tourism rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic downturn.

MBIE has made improvements to quarterly reporting of energy-related emissions. Emissions from electricity generation separated by gas type (CO2, CH4 and N2O) to allow a distinction to be made between short-lived and long-lived greenhouse gases.

Read more information on energy use in New Zealand

Electricity generation from hydroelectric and geothermal sources
A line chart showing the amount of electricity generated from hydroelectric and geothermal sources between 2014 and 2023. The amount generated has stayed relatively steady over time, with hydroelectric sources generating around 6,000 GWh per quarter and geothermal sources generating around 2,000 GWh per quarter.
Electricity generation from solar and wind sources
A line chart showing the amount of electricity generated from solar photovoltaic and wind sources between 2014 and 2023. The amount of electricity generated from wind has grown steadily over time, recently reaching 950 GWh for the most recent quarter.
Electricity generation from coal and gas
A line chart of coal and gas use for electricity generation between 2014 and 2023. Both series have been trending downward over time, although both have increased in the last quarter.
Electricity from renewable sources
A line chart showing the proportion of electricity generated by renewable sources between 2014 and 2023. This value has historically been around 85%, but over the past few years has increase to almost 95%. Last quarter this values dropped to around 85% once again.
CO2-e emissions from electricity generation
A line chart showing carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from electricity between 2014 and 2023. This value has increased recently, to just over 1,0000 kt CO2-e.
Jet fuel consumption
A line chart showing jet fuel consumption for both domestic and international travel between 2014 and 2023, with March 2020 highlighted. Jet fuel use dropped in March 2020, but has been steadily recovering since around 2022.

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https://www.mbie.govt.nz/building-and-energy/energy-and-natural-resources/energy-statistics-and-modelling/energy-publications-and-technical-papers/new-zealand-energy-quarterly/previous-energy-quarterly-editions/new-zealand-energy-quarterly-september-2023/september-2023-summary/
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