Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 4/12/23

A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced as “reprehensible”?

After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme,

The scheme – that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s NZ Battery Project, a $100 million programme led by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Stuart Smith: The Case for the NZ Battery Project

The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment recently released the Indicative Business Case (IBC) for the New Zealand Battery Project. However, the IBC has raised more questions than it has answered.

Last month, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods announced that the New Zealand Battery Project will move forward to a detailed business case, on two favoured options: pumped hydro at Lake Onslow and a portfolio option of alternative technologies. The portfolio option includes the combustion of biomass, a new geothermal plant used flexibly and interruptible hydrogen electrolysis. Despite this, the emphasis will be on the Onslow option, which Minister Woods is a strong advocate for.