Gas transition plan
Our gas network is vital for many households and businesses across Aotearoa New Zealand. It plays a key role in maintaining energy system resilience and contributing to economic growth. We’re committed to helping the country achieve its net-zero emissions target by 2050 through the transition to renewable gas. Our decarbonisation efforts will primarily focus on renewable natural gas, or biomethane, which can be used in the same way as natural gas without adding additional emissions to the environment.
Biogas is produced from decomposing organic waste such as fruits and vegetables. Once biogas is cleaned (carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and water are removed) it becomes biomethane, also known as renewable natural gas, making it almost chemically identical to natural gas. This allows it to be used interchangeably with natural gas, enabling our customers to continue using gas for cooking, heating, and hot water without any changes to their current systems. Our existing gas pipes can supply renewable natural gas, giving customers the choice of how they energise their homes and businesses while maintaining resilience during extreme weather events.
As the largest dual-energy distributor in the country, we’re already experiencing the impacts of climate change. In 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle tested our operational and response capability, but our gas pipelines’ integrity was maintained and supply to Napier was uninterrupted, highlighting the importance of fuel diversity for energy resilience.
Looking ahead, we anticipate more frequent and severe storms, rising sea levels, and increased interdependencies between infrastructure providers. This will require community-level planning and potentially relocating existing infrastructure to adapt to these changes.
Biogas is produced from decomposing organic waste such as fruits and vegetables. Once biogas is cleaned (carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and water are removed) it becomes biomethane, also known as renewable natural gas, making it almost chemically identical to natural gas. This allows it to be used interchangeably with natural gas, enabling our customers to continue using gas for cooking, heating, and hot water without any changes to their current systems. Our existing gas pipes can supply renewable natural gas, giving customers the choice of how they energise their homes and businesses while maintaining resilience during extreme weather events.
As the largest dual-energy distributor in the country, we’re already experiencing the impacts of climate change. In 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle tested our operational and response capability, but our gas pipelines’ integrity was maintained and supply to Napier was uninterrupted, highlighting the importance of fuel diversity for energy resilience.
Looking ahead, we anticipate more frequent and severe storms, rising sea levels, and increased interdependencies between infrastructure providers. This will require community-level planning and potentially relocating existing infrastructure to adapt to these changes.
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