Electricity Sector in New Zealand - Generation

Generation

See also: List of power stations in New Zealand

In 2011, New Zealand generated 43,138 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity. The electricity generated in 2011 was 57.6% hydroelectricity, 18.4% natural gas, 13.4% geothermal, 4.7% coal, 4.5% wind, 1.4% other sources. The installed generating capacity of New Zealand (all sources) as of December 2011 was 9,751 megawatts (MW), composed of 53.8% hydroelectricity, 19.9% natural gas, 9.4% coal, 7.5% geothermal, 6.3% wind, 1.7% oil, and 1.3% other sources (mainly biogas, waste heat and wood). Note that some power stations can use more than one fuel, so their capacity has been split in line with the amount of electricity generated by each fuel.

Comparing the two main islands, nearly all South Island's electricity is generated by hydroelectricity - 98.3 percent in 2011 - with much of the remainder being generated by wind power. The North Island meanwhile has a wider spread of generation sources - 31.2 percent of generation in 2010 was from natural gas, 29.4 percent from hydroelectricity, 22.6 percent from geothermal, 7.9 percent from coal, 6.5 percent from wind, and the remainder mainly from bioenergy.

Installed capacity (MW) by island, 31 December 2011
Fuel New Zealand North Island South Island
Hydroelectric 5,252 1,818 3,434
Geothermal 731 731 –
Wind 614 517 97
Oil 165 164 1
Coal 920 916 4
Gas 1,942 1,942 –
Other renewable 108 105 3
Other non-renewable 19 15 4
Total 9,751 6,208 3,543
Generation (GWh) in New Zealand
Fuel 2011 year Year to 30 June 2012
New Zealand North Island South Island New Zealand
Hydroelectric 24,831 7,511 17,319 22,241
Geothermal 5,770 5,770 – 5,824
Wind 1,931 1,671 260 2,005
Oil 1 1 tr 2
Coal 2,026 2,007 19 3,231
Gas 7,955 7,955 – 9,196
Other renewable 566 552 15 566
Other non-renewable 59 46 13 60
Total 43,138 25,513 17,625 43,125

Read more about this topic:  Electricity Sector In New Zealand

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