Natural gas is certainly going to be needed in the medium term during New Zealand’s energy transition, the Minister of Energy, Simeon Brown, told a business breakfast audience in Wellington last week.

GasNZ was invited to discuss the future of gas at the University of Auckland Energy Centre’s annual three-day Summer School in Energy Economics in February.

Gas is vital to New Zealand’s energy security in the short to medium term and is likely to have a part to play in the longer term depending upon future technology solutions.

Both demand for gas and gas reserves are decreasing, according to the latest report on supply and demand from business consultants Ernst & Young, commissioned by the Gas Industry Company.

Ecogas has been selected by Christchurch City Council to provide a long-term solution for the processing of kerbside organics and garden waste.

GasNZ is pleased to announce Jeffrey Clarke as its new Chief Executive, effective March 2024.

Methane electrolysis may be a cost-effective method for New Zealand hydrogen production, Worley vice president for onshore upstream and midstream Peter Cox says.

The divide between New Zealanders who can and can’t afford to heat their home, cook a meal and get from A to B remains unacceptably large.

When GasNZ attended the International Gas Union council meetings in Perth, it included tours of a range of progressive gas projects. Usefully for our members events like these mean we are able to share contacts and leads and to support the establishment of a trans-Tasman gas cohort.

The Gas Industry Company (GIC) is proposing two introductory regulatory changes that lay the groundwork for the future introduction of biomethane into gas pipelines.

GasNZ’s submission last week in response to the issues paper the government had published around its Gas Transition Plan makes it clear that gas, in all its forms, must be part of New Zealand’s energy future.

GasNZ has worked with the wider gas sector to provide impartial and credible information for consumers around smart gas meters.

The guiding principle underlying the role of gas in the international energy transition had to be one of pragmatism, says the International Gas Union (IGU) in Wellington last week.

Nick Hannan, New Zealand general manager for Australasian LPG supplier Elgas, was recently voted in as GasNZ board chair, replacing outgoing chair Ben Gerritsen.

GasNZ’s inaugural annual report was published this month.

New Zealand was coming out of what has felt like a deep sleep on the role of gas in its energy transition, GasNZ’s Janet Carson told attendees at the 55th Australian Pipelines and Gas Convention in Perth this month.

Hydrogen is one of the options under serious consideration for New Zealand to meet its net zero carbon target by 2050, as set out in the government’s recently released Interim Hydrogen Roadmap paper.

Still almost a month shy of its first birthday, Ecogas’s Organics Processing Facility in Reporoa has been recognized with a win in this year’s Energy Excellence Awards

Small gas leaks are a normal feature of any gas distribution network. While Vector’s gas network performs better than the New Zealand average for public reported escapes, the leaks that do happen are a contributing factor to reported greenhouse gas emissions.

Denmark, with a similar population to New Zealand, has replaced nearly 40 percent of their natural gas supply with biogas generated from organic waste, and have plans to get this to 100 percent by 2034.