Electricity emissions rise to highest level since 2008

Electricity emissions rise to highest level since 2008
Burning coal at Huntly kept the lights on this winter, but it also drove up greenhouse gas emissions. (Image: Getty)
Ian Llewellyn
Greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector rose to their highest level since 2008 in the latest June 2021 quarter.The latest Energy Quarterly released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) showed low hydro lake storage levels combined with a tight gas supply led to a big jump in the use of coal to generate electricity in the second quarter of 2021 compared to a year earlier.“The share of electricity generated from renewable sources for the June 2021 quarter was 75% which was six percentage points lower th...

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