New Zealand Heads for 100% Renewables | In an exciting new announcement, the New Zealand Electricity Authority predicts that their electricity grid will be 100% renewable by 2040.

That’s really cool! I’m kinda jazzed to see how it goes.

From the article: New Zealand has four major energy suppliers — Meridian, Contact, Genesis, and Mercury. According to the NZ Electricity Authority, “New Zealand is transitioning to a highly renewable electricity system. This change will require increased and accelerated investment in new electricity generation to match demand growth and the retirement of thermal power plants.”

As Meridian is the largest electricity generator (and a significant supplier) with a focus on renewables, I contacted them for comment. They very graciously provided the photos in this article and much of the content.

From their half yearly report, we learn of the challenges faced by a country that relies on hydropower for 60% of their electricity. New Zealand (NZ) experienced a drought from May to August 2024, then excessive rain from September to November. With drought returning in December, the outlook for 2025 looks dry. National storage levels are within normal levels, giving Meridian 15 weeks of generation.

As well as drought conditions, NZ is facing a “combination of system rules and consent restrictions [that] means the market can’t count on that additional hydro generation, even in extreme circumstances.” There are more hydro resources physically available, but government regulations have not caught up with the changes in rainfall. Loosening the restrictions is the lower-cost option. Meridian is calling on Transpower to increase the South Island storage buffer.