Hydro and wind supplant thermal generation

Renewable resources supplied three quarters of New Zealand's power generation in the September year, Statistics New Zealand said today.

Total power generation rose 5.7 per cent to 39,310 gigawatt hours in the September year.

Hydro and wind generation was 17.8 per cent high in the year and accounted for 69 per cent of the power generation during the year compared with 62 per cent the year before. The 2004 percentage is the highest since 1998 when it was 72 per cent.

In the September quarter, hydro and wind generation was 27.4 per cent higher than the September 2003 quarter and was a record for any quarter, exceeding the previous peak in the September 1994 quarter. Hydro and wind supplied 71 per cent of the country's power during the quarter. Thermal generation was 26 per cent lower.

Geothermal generation was up 3.2 per cent on the September 2003 quarter but was 1.2 per cent lower over the September year.

Prices for commercial electricity users rose 0.9 per cent in the quarter and 9.5 per cent for the year.

Prices for domestic users rose 1.4 per cent in the quarter and 8.5 per cent for the year.

Gas production was 14.3 per cent lower for the quarter and 20.7 per cent for the year - the lowest volume since 1985 and down 36.5 per cent on the peak hit in September 2001.

The volume of domestic crude petrol produced fell 18.8 per cent in the September year against 2003 and was 58.7 per cent below its 1991 peak. Crude imports were down 15.3 per cent on 2003.

In the September year, the volume of petrol products delivered, including fuel oils, aviation fuels and kerosene, was up 3.4 per cent compared with 2003.

Retail petrol prices rose 0.7 per cent in the September quarter and were 11.9 per cent higher than a year earlier.

- NZPA