Coal use increased as hydro lakes fell and gas supply stuttered

Coal imports are up as hydro lakes dip and gas stutters.

Thu, 11 Mar 2021

The latest energy data has confirmed the electricity sector’s increasing use of coal to back up generation due to lower than usual hydro storage and uncertainties about gas supply.The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's latest Energy Quarterly data shows the renewable share of electricity generation fell to 84%, 1.4% lower than a year ago, in the four months ending December 2020.Electricity generated from gas increased by 8%, while generation from coal increased by 11% compared with the December 2019 quarter.The months s...

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