Opportunity to have say on Murihiku Southland’s future energy needs
Murihiku Regeneration has partnered with Great South to support the development of the draft Southland Murihiku Regional Energy Strategy 2022 -2050, which has been released for public input.
The report see here, was developed by BECA and is now ready for public discussion.
The strategy identifies Southland’s potentially unprecedented demand for renewable energy and potential ways to meet that demand.
The draft Strategy for the region, is now open for consultation until Wednesday 26 April 2023.
Great South Strategic Projects General Manager Stephen Canny says,“ we are in the exciting position of having several new major industries eyeing up Southland. Having this strategy means that investors will have confidence investing in the region - we have a plan and a focus on renewable energy.”
The draft strategy presents three potential future scenarios for the region; baseline - where NZAS closes and Southern Green Hydrogen (SGH) does not proceed; transition - where NZAS closes and SGH goes ahead; and green energy growth - where both NZAS and SGH co-exist.
It also outlines potential new renewable energy sources such as further wind farms, biomass, solar, biogas and run-of-river hydro generation, and maps a pathway to address industry decarbonisation and to transition from a reliance on fossil-fuel transportation.
“Working together as a region and making use of rapidly emerging technology will be critical to make optimal use of this resource,” says Murihiku Regeneration Portfolio Director Terry Nicholas
An advisory group comprising iwi, councils, major local industry and the electricity sector guided the process and development of the draft Strategy.
There is opportunity for the public to find out more about the strategy at public hui in Gore, Te Anau, and Invercargill- with dates and locations as follows:
- Gore – Monday 17 April, 4.00pm
- Invercargill – Tuesday 18 April, 4.00pm
- Te Anau – Thursday 20 April, 4.00pm
For a consultation form, to view the strategy and summary and to RSVP for the public sessions please visit greatsouth.nz.
We welcome any comments or feedback on the draft document here
Posted: 4 April 2023