9. Hon MARIAN HOBBS (Labour—Wellington Central) Link to this
to the Minister of Energy
What reports, if any, has he received on advances in the deployment of renewable energy?
Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister of Energy) Link to this
Today the Environmental Risk Management Authority announced its decision to allow petrol blends including bio-ethanol to be sold in single-skin tanks. The Government welcomes this decision. It lowers the cost of introducing biofuels. It is good for consumers’ pockets. It is good news for the environment, motorists, and oil companies, and it is another step towards a more sustainable, carbon-neutral future.
Yesterday it was announced that the Environment Court has given the green light to Meridian Energy’s proposed Mākara wind farm development. The wind farm is expected to produce enough power to meet most of Wellington’s domestic power needs. The Labour-led Government got wind power off the ground in New Zealand with its ground-breaking Projects to Reduce Emissions programme. This undoubtedly brought forward the deployment of wind power in New Zealand by many, many years.
Gerry BrownleeCan the Minister confirm that the average age of New Zealand’s domestic vehicle fleet is 11 years, and that vehicles over 7 years old cannot run on blends of which more than 5 percent is ethanol, meaning that most of New Zealand’s vehicle fleet cannot run on ethanol blends?
That is, obviously, recent news to that member, but it has long been known that there are technological limitations on the fleet’s catering for blends with a high percentage of ethanol. That is why the initial target has been set at 3.4 percent, which all vehicles can cope with.
Madam SPEAKER
Peter BrownNoting the Minister’s earlier answer, where he seemed to be putting the emphasis totally on renewable energy sources, will he explain—because confusing messages are coming out—where the Government sees gas and oil exploration, and what importance the Government attaches to it?
One of my colleagues quipped “Underground.” But I note that having a biofuels target of 3.4 percent is hardly an exclusive focus on renewables. I would also say that the Government acknowledges a continuing role for thermal fuels, both in transport and in electricity generation, for some time to come. None the less, we clearly believe there is potential for more renewables, particularly in electricity generation but also progressively in transport.