Shane Jones has launched a new national geothermal strategy aimed at expanding investment in geothermal energy and doubling New Zealand’s energy use by 2040, outlining a pathway to strengthen regional industry, improve energy resilience and support economic growth.
Unveiled in Rotorua, the strategy, titled From the Ground Up, sets out measures to modernise regulatory settings, improve access to geothermal data, reduce early-stage development risk and encourage both large-scale electricity generation and lower-temperature geoheat projects.
Jones said geothermal already contributes about 18 percent of electricity supplied to the national grid and remains central to industrial activity in centres including Ngāwhā, Kawerau and Taupō.
The strategy also signals support for next-generation geothermal technologies, including supercritical and superhot geothermal development, while committing to stronger partnerships with Māori to reflect the cultural significance of geothermal resources and expand opportunities for tāngata whenua and regional businesses.
Image credit: Dan Meyers
That’s nice, but good luck connecting your car to a goethermal generator. Good luck strapping a battery to a Boeing 747. Good luck taping gigantic solar panels to trains and ships.
Oil powers our country, like it or not.
And our “leaders” aren’t even on the chess board, they’re busy playing snakes and ladders.
“committing to stronger partnerships with Māori”???
Not voting NZ First if this is what Shane Jones intends. Against what the party campaigned.
Moon ain’t going anywhere, why no tidal generation?
Was plans for tidal generation in the Kaipara 20 years or so back.
Biodiesel to run trucks, tractors boilers etc?
Psst – it was all lies so they could launder money 😉
Maybe. I’m asking why not get these things moving now. Wouldn’t matter if marsden was still in play if we cannot get oil by boat.
We could grow hemp pretty easily to get biodiesel and ethanol, plastics and other products from the plant mass.
Seems like we are gonna need something like this besides electric energy. Tidal should be back in the mix to bolster energy supply too
Waste to energy- we could be clean burning our methane producing waste and converting that to electricity in every municipality instead of clogging landfills and importing solar panels and wind turbines that can’t be recycled at the end of their life.
Ahhhh…. Maori have taken over people. Thanks for your taxes.
Hydro and Geothermal are NZ’s golden ticket and competitive advantage to reliable renewable energy, this is a good start.
We should do more.