News
Electricity hedge prices compared to new estimate of the LCOE
In an 'Eye on electricity' article in June, we compared the prices of long and short hedges to estimates of the levelised cost of electricity and short run mar…
Demand-side flexibility in a highly renewable power system
As New Zealand electrifies, demand for electricity will increase. This increased demand will generally need to be met with new supply. But an important element…
Spring outlook: Understanding the change in wholesale price risk
While rain over the weekend was welcomed, national hydro storage is still low. As a result, this week, the Electricity Authority changed the risk assessment of…
Wind will play a larger role in electricity generation
In Aotearoa New Zealand, wind generation is growing. Wind farms currently make up around 11% of our total electricity generation capacity, the majority of whic…
The role of thermal generation
New Zealand’s electricity is generated from hydro, wind, solar, geothermal and thermal fuel sources. Thermal fuels include coal, natural gas and diesel and are…
An explanation of ASX forward prices
In 2022 we published an article that looked into how the ASX forward electricity market works and the factors that affect these prices. This article looks at s…
Electricity hedge prices and conditions for this winter
The Electricity Authority has analysed information it collected from generators on the winter 2025 hedges they offered to large industrials ie, those where at …
What are contingent contracts and how do they help our power system?
To help ensure the lights stay on, some power generators have ‘contingent contracts’ as a back-up. We explain what these contacts are and how they help to ensu…
Retail power prices and power supply security
From earlier this month, most New Zealanders electricity bills increased to recover costs for power transmission and distribution. This article explains the di…
Hydro storage limits and why rain matters for electricity
New Zealand has a highly renewable electricity system where hydro generation accounts for more than half of our total electricity generation. This article expl…
Gentailer energy margins in 2024
Following the significant spike in wholesale electricity prices during July and August 2024, the Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko requested that all gentaile…
New highs being hit in solar generation
New data from the Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko shows energy from solar farms have been hitting new records this summer, with a historic peak of 128MW rea…
Was electricity demand higher in 2024?
This article explores why several months in the second half of 2024 had lower than historic electricity demand. This change in trend was largely due to lower i…
New Zealand’s electricity system in August and November 2024
New Zealand’s electricity system is designed to rapidly respond to changing electricity demand and supply conditions. This adaptability ensures the system prod…
The Tiwai Point smelter demand response in winter 2024
During winter 2024, New Zealand experienced an electricity fuel shortage. Meridian Energy called on its demand response option with the New Zealand Aluminium S…