Contact welcomes commitment to quicker consenting

11 October 2007

Contact welcomes commitment to quicker consenting

The Government’s announcement that it plans to streamline the resource consenting process for renewable generation projects will be critical to achieving the vision of 90 per cent of electricity coming from renewable sources by 2025, Contact Energy said today.

The Government today released its New Zealand Energy Strategy, which proposes national policy statements on renewable energy projects and electricity transmission in order to facilitate the development and connection of renewable energy projects.

The Strategy will also provide guidance to local authorities on greater use of call in powers under the Resource Management Act.

Contact Chief Executive David Baldwin said the Energy Strategy had identified the right areas for attention. He said the vision of a renewable energy sector now hinged squarely on the ability to rapidly consent renewable projects and connect them to the transmission system.

“If new renewable generation projects are now blocked or delayed through the consenting process, the country will have no choice but to develop new baseload thermal generation to ensure security of electricity supply.

“The Government has signaled that it understands the national importance of an efficient resource consenting process for new renewable generation projects and we now need to see this commitment implemented and in effect as soon as possible.”

Mr Baldwin welcomed the distinction in the strategy between baseload and peaking thermal capacity.

“Contact’s shares the view that New Zealand has sufficient capacity to ensure security of supply in the medium term, but only if we can develop renewable projects, particularly geothermal and wind, in a timely fashion.”

Mr Baldwin said Contact believed the Government’s target of 90 per cent of electricity coming from renewable sources was ambitious but achievable.

ENDS

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