We’re 100% behind a zero-carbon future for Aotearoa New Zealand. To get there, Aotearoa will need a mix of energy options that includes low and zero carbon gases. Natural gas still has an important role to play as we look to transition to renewable gas energy. In our homes, Kiwi use natural gas for cooking, heating and hot water, and natural gas also has many commercial and industrial uses. Because of gas’ reliability it’s easy to forget the important role it plays in our lives and in the energy mix in Aotearoa.
Historically, natural gas played an important role helping us transition away from coal energy to help lower emissions. Now as we look to the future, our parent business, Powerco, has more work to do, investigating renewable gas to deliver to over 100,000 Kiwi homes with the same reliability and convenience we’ve come to expect from natural gas.
We are looking to decarbonise our gas network to help Aotearoa reach carbon-zero emissions by 2050.
We know it’s possible to deliver renewable gases like biogas (made of renewable energy), to your home, but there’s still work to be done across the energy system in Aotearoa to enable this.
Around 90% of our gas pipe network (and most new subdivisions), are compatible with renewable gases. We’re on track for blended gas to flow through areas of our natural gas network by 2030, so you can enjoy the benefits of gas now, and into the future.
If you love today’s gas, you’ll love the gas of tomorrow
Like natural gas, renewable gases like biogas can be delivered to your home, without adding additional emissions into the atmosphere.
- Renewable gases can energise the gas appliances you love with the same exceptional reliability and safety as natural gas.
- Fast, hot and precise cooking.
- Continuous hot water.
- Luxurious, cosy heating.
- Real flame fireplaces without the messy clean up.
If you own an appliance that uses natural gas, have confidence that you’ll be able to use it for its expected lifetime (typically up to 15 years). Most modern gas appliances are already compatible with future gases and are able to run on a blend of natural gas and renewable hydrogen gas (up to 20%) or biogas. Blending gases will be an important part of our journey as we scale up to 100% renewable gas energy and new compatible appliances become more widely available.