EECA supports the potential of renewable gas for NZ

5 March 2025

Natural gas is critical to the New Zealand energy system according to the chief executive of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), Marcos Pelenur. 

“Gas is an important part of our energy mix - no doubt.”  

For example, natural gas comprises 53 percent of the fuel mix used by large industrial users for industrial process heat. 

While EECA is “fuel and technology agnostic”, its underlying objective is to ensure the best, most efficient choice of energy resources, he says. 

EECA supports the “best use” of gas: “We should be making the best use of the energy we have.”  

Pelenur says the potential for biogas and biomethane is a “really exciting space”. 

“It’s small at the moment but the opportunity is big.” 

“Energy is a core input into everything we do – we should be making the best use of the energy we have,” Pelenur says. 

“Particularly for gas, when we think of how critical gas is for us… in Taranaki, for example, where gas is used as an input to large petrochemical processes, “I’d much rather see gas be used for high-value outputs rather than what I would consider as outputs that could be replaced by something else,” he says. 

“For me it’s about increasing the value stack of our resources.” 

“So why not lean into biogas or biomethane and be more efficient as a country with what we have.” 

EECA is big supporters of that, he says. 

“Gas will play a pivotal role as we transition to net zero.”