Energy Business News - For Buyers, sellers and users of energy, services and technology

  • NZ$750 million geothermal upgrade gains steam

    September 26, 2012 - no Comments

    The NZ$750 million upgrade of Contact Energy’s Wairakei geothermal steamfield is gaining momentum, with the new bioreactor plant unveiled last week. The new bioreactor, which cost NZ$30 million to build,

  • NSW power prices hike 18.1 percent

    June 13, 2012 - no Comments

    NSW electricity bills will rise by an average of 18.1 per cent from July 1, the state’s pricing regulator says. EnergyAustralia customers will suffer a 20.6 per cent rise under

  • NZ power on low this week

    May 4, 2012 - no Comments

    Problems at Contact Energy’s Stratford Power Station and a lack of wind for wind generation forced NZ to send hydro generated power from the South to North Islands this week.

  • No more Clutha hydro

    May 2, 2012 - no Comments

    NZ’s Contact Energy has called a halt to its plans for further hydro development on the Clutha River in the South Island, and could put its land holdings in the

  • NZ wind running out of puff

    April 3, 2012 - no Comments

    The annual New Zealand Wind Energy Conference is taking place in Hamilton this week, but despite the push for renewable energy, the news is not all good with the conference

  • Poor rains impact NZ hydro

    January 17, 2012 - no Comments

    Poor rainfall in the NZ South Island is forcing hydro generators to scale back production and dip into their storage lakes. Generators Meridian, Contact and Pioneer Generation face a dilemma

  • Contact orders 150,000 smart meters

    October 7, 2011 - no Comments

    NZ utility Contact Energy will deploy up to 150,000 smart meters to its customers across Auckland, Wellington, Waikato and the Powerco regions. Contact announced it had contracted Auckland-based Advanced Metering

  • NZ renewables hits 80 percent

    September 16, 2011 - no Comments

    Renewable energy provided almost 80 percent of New Zealand’s electricity generation in the first six months of 2011, according to the Acting Minister of Energy and Resources, Hekia Parata. “We’ve

  • Contact raises NZ$331 million for geothermal

    June 3, 2011 - no Comments

    NZ’s Contact Energy has raised NZ$331 million in a rights issue to help fund a new geothermal power station. The capital raising for Contact, which is 51 percent owned by

  • Go-ahead for Raglan wind farm

    May 27, 2011 - no Comments

    Contact Energy’s major wind farm project on the NZ coast between Raglan and Port Waikato has been granted resource planning consent. The development, which would be NZ’s third largest renewable