How do we achieve renewable gas that meets half of New Zealand’s natural gas demand by 2050? The latest GasNZ document is a brilliant start, says Peter Sandston, Acting GM for Future Fuels at Clarus.
The recent Biomethane Strategy and Action Plan sets out a pathway for growing the country’s renewable gas production, so that it becomes a core part of our long-term renewable energy supply. The report sets out the many benefits of a burgeoning biomethane sector, from substantial economic contributions to lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduced landfill waste.
What it does particularly well, says Sandston, is showing what type of governmental support would help us achieve all these advantages.
“Renewable gas can bring so many benefits,” he explains. “GasNZ has set out a pathway that really nails the policy mechanisms that would unlock anaerobic digestion at scale. The document shows what that policy change would look like, and we need that support to really get this industry going.”
Peter Sandston, Acting GM Future Fuels at Reporoa Organics Processing Facility
Endorsement, investment and leadership
To realise the benefits of a growing renewable gas industry, there need to be some actions from government, including in the first stage:
- An approved Biomethane Strategy with cross-party endorsement.
- Investing in the market to deliver 1 PJ of biomethane right away, 5 PJ by 2035 and 25 PJ by 2050.
- A government-appointed lead agency with the mandate and resources to integrate the Biomethane Strategy into policy, regulatory change, and action.
- A joint government/industry Ministerial Advisory Group to guide execution of the strategy and adapt it over time.
- Government-funded public information about resource recovery, biomethane and the significant value – beyond just energy – that the Biomethane Strategy will deliver for Kiwis.
“I’m hugely supportive of this roadmap,” says Sandston. “I would love to see this happen so we can support renewable gas to help become part of the energy solution for New Zealand. Renewable gas can play a part in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors like long-distance transport and high-heat industrial processing.”
The Biomethane upgrade facility at Ecogas’ Organics processing facility in Reporoa
Contributing to a more circular economy
Sandston is also a fan of the wider environmental benefits of the renewable gas process, which include:
- Reducing waste to landfill and making use of valuable organic matter that is currently being thrown away.
- Cutting emissions directly as biomethane replaces natural gas; biomethane emissions are at least 65% lower than natural gas.
- Avoiding the release of biogenic methane, which could make a significant contribution to our wider greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.
- Producing renewable fertiliser that reduces demand for imported fertilisers, and reduces the emissions generated by producing and importing those nutrients.
“Currently there are some social and economic barriers to sourcing feedstock for anaerobic digestion, but these can be overcome,” Sandston says. “We’ve seen from overseas examples that these problems can be solved and we can make renewable gas a strategic part of our energy mix.”
Clarus is already investing in renewable gas, and developed the first biogas to biomethane upgrading facility in Aotearoa, in conjunction with the Ecogas Organics Processing Facility in Reporoa. You can read more about the GasNZ report in this blog, and more about Clarus’s role in New Zealand’s energy transition at Future of Energy.
