10. CHARLES CHAUVEL (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Energy and Resources
Will he exempt biofuels from excise and road-user charges in proportion to the blend, and only on sustainably produced biofuels?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister of Energy and Resources) Link to this
The Government is currently considering the options for giving effect to our policy of providing consistent tax incentives for sustainably produced biofuels.
Are the Minister and his colleagues serious about reducing the country’s overall carbon emissions; if so, why would they consider bringing forward the building of the Rodney power station, at a cost of over half a billion dollars, when Genesis Energy told the Electricity Commission on 4 December last year that the plant had no resource consents, no gas pipeline capacity, and no access to a sufficient, secure forward quantity of gas?
Do the Minister’s answers not confirm the observation in yesterday’s New Zealand Herald editorial that he “showed little interest in the economics of electricity investment and seemed hell-bent on bulldozing any obstacle to the maximum security of supply.”?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE Link to this
The Government is committed to having a regime that provides a consistent tax incentive for biofuels in New Zealand.
I seek leave to table a letter from Genesis Energy to the Electricity Commission, dated 4 December 2008, which notes that the proposed Rodney power station has no resource consents, and no forward gas supply.
Mr SPEAKER