New heavy industry should not get ETS protection, says Upton
Infrastructure

New heavy industry should not get ETS protection, says Upton

New Zealand is not an industrial economy and should resist offering support to new emissions-intensive businesses keen to establish here to take advantage of the country’s renewable energy resources, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says.Under the emissions trad...

Gavin Evans 14 Feb 2020
Renewables, nuclear flatten global energy emissions - IEA
Policy

Renewables, nuclear flatten global energy emissions - IEA

Image credit: The Generator JudgeMild temperatures, increasing renewables and a recovery in nuclear generation saw global energy sector emissions flat-line last year, according to the International Energy Agency.It estimates energy-related carbon dioxide emissions were unchanged...

Gavin Evans 12 Feb 2020
Coalition split on mining ban
Policy

Coalition split on mining ban

The government’s proposed ban on new mining on conservation land looks dead in the water with little prospect the policy’s long-delayed discussion document will be issued before the election.The discussion paper was originally scheduled for September 2018. It was still expected “...

Gavin Evans 11 Feb 2020
Contact working to keep Tiwai smelter
Infrastructure

Contact working to keep Tiwai smelter

Contact Energy says it is in active talks on a revised electricity supply for the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter.A “disorderly” closure of the Rio Tinto-owned facility, the country’s biggest electricity user, would be a bad outcome for the country, would cost jobs, reduce the gove...

Gavin Evans 10 Feb 2020