The problem when you ask 'the experts' for advice on every thought that pops into your head is that they tend to agree with it. And if they don't. you tend to ignore them.
And what does that tell you about the need for the advice in the first place?
Latest case in point is the LNG terminal in Taranaki. A billion bucks. We'll be paying a levy on our power bills to fund it.
Big announcement at the beehive theatrette yesterday.
The 'official advice from MBIE and the rest was that this is the way to go. This will save us all, on average, apparently, $1 a week on electricity.
If we're lucky. Because remember, as with all advice, there are caveats. The caveats are 'depends on this" and "depends on that".
So, we've got an announcement and we hope for the best and this thing will be built, come hell or high water, bar a change of government, by 2027.
When the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine, we'll import LNG and keep the lights on.
BUT.
Last year we had the Frontier Economics report. Same issue but different set of 'advisors'.
They're an independent global consultancy crowd.
What they said was quite different.
They told us it would basically be a dumb idea to build an import terminal because you've got a massive, fixed cost spread over a relatively small amount of output - because you're only using this as a back-up.
You can't sell an LNG terminal once you're finished with it. These particular advisors made the point that it's quite a specific piece of kit and could well turn it one of this country's biggest white elephant investments.
Yet here we are less than a year later with a different set of advice and another vague plan.
There's no doubt this country needs a plan to deal with energy security. But depending on who you ask, this is either brilliant or batshit.
Ryan Bridge is a New Zealand broadcaster who has worked on many current affairs television and radio shows. He currently hosts Newstalk ZB's Early Edition - where this article was sourced.
7 comments:
Burn a green, they have calorific value-they're useless for anything else.
What if we had our own gas?…oh yeah, luddites.
The corruption of NZ parliamentarians is reaching new depths.
Not satisfied with ignoring 8/10 recommendations, in the expensive Horizon energy report we paid for,qww to lower nz electricity costs; Watts and Luxon are forging ahead with an LNG terminal the repory stated was too expensive!
If voters cant smell tje stenchnof.coreuption now, they need their joses checked.
I shudder to speculate how damaging these two Net Zero proponents, Luxon and Watts, are going to have on NZ’s future. Quick to tax its citizens initially with a vague promise of a $1.00 discount on future power bills. This, on top of an 11% power bill increase over the last 12 months as these two climate alarmists follow Starmers folly with windmills and solar farms.
What about our own indigenous gas in Taranaki - capped off wells ?
Or did Bill Birch sell all our gas offshore years ago ?
Are those billions going to pay for the new LNG terminal?
what need is an Energy strategy and roadmap, covering next 10 years... make it bi partisan.
Describe the mid point goal and the end goal outcomes. There is no reason why this cannot be done. It can include short / medium transition outcomes, like LNG and mid/long term like perhaps nuclear as an end poi t in 15 years.. if they want to supplement electricity generation with solar that is fine, but dont make it the core generation investment. Geo thermal is also important, as is more hydro, we need good base load energy.. that is why nuclear has to be in the longer term mix. So bottom line, list them all and cost them out.. get signoff from other Parties, other wise tell voters they screwed the pooch and the energy prices will go up, not down
Can I ask I question?
How many New Zealander's recall the effort put in place by Robt. Muldoon/ PM National Party (back then) to have off shore drilling take place off the 'Naki" coast?
If you do, recall that this Country then had placed before it Natural Gas, pipes ashore and used across the North Island )not sure if it south of the Strait) - the construction of places to receive and disperse gas, the employment of people to work in said industry.
There was talk of having to re-drill for new sources to maintain flow.
Surely at the time - thoughts could have(???) been "thought" about usage in energy.
Then we had the "arrival of The Greens" (if only K 1 W 1's understood the true nature of this group) - who advocated "turn it off" and who better to comply - D J Ardern.
I take it we " want to import" - oh.
Are we seeing the NZ version of the demise of National just like the Liberal Party in Australia. Except over there it is a Sheila leading them.
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