New Zealand has announced its largest emissions reduction project in history, passing from coal to renewable electricity at the country’s major steel plant. The plan will reduce New Zealand’s emissions by 800,000 tonnes annually, the equivalent of moving 300,000 cars off the road.
The government will spend $140m on halving the coal used at the Glenbrook steel plant to recycle scrap steel, replacing that generating power with an electric-powered furnace. That electricity will be provided by renewable energy through New Zealand’s national grid, which is primarily powered by wind, hydro, and geothermal energy.
«This size of this project demonstrates how serious the government is about reducing New Zealand’s emissions as fast as possible», said Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. «Alone, it will eliminate 1% of the country’s total annual emissions».
However, prof James Renwick of Victoria University said 1% of national emissions is great, but it is necessary to reduce 100%.
«To understand the scale of this project, it reduces more emissions on its own than all the other 66 government-funded emissions-reduction projects we have approved to date», said Megan Woods, minister of Energy and Resources. The electric-powered furnace is due to be running by 2026-7.
This new plan is very significant and it represents big news for New Zealand, reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and putting the country in a much better position to meet its climate target of net zero carbon by 2050.
Even though New Zealand’s total contribution to global emissions is small, its gross emissions per capita are high. According to 2018 data, New Zealanders produce greenhouse gases equivalent to the heating power of 16.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide, more than double the per capita rate of the UK. Furthermore, the country has been among the world’s worst performers in emission increases.
«We can’t plant our way out of the problem of climate change», Renwick said. «We need be focusing on gross emissions reduction rather than net».
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