For the first time New Zealand has a national overview of industry’s use of coal and gas and the size of the job ahead to increase energy efficiency and the switch to renewables.
EECA has published the Regional Heat Demand Database (RHDD), an interactive data visualisation tool that records aggregated data from existing process heat sites relying on fossil fuels, by region and sector as well as other useful breakdowns.
The sophisticated map of fossil fuel-powered industrial heating boilers and systems – used for things like milk drying, making carpets and heating greenhouses – has revealed a total of 713 sites and 1279 large boilers or other industrial equipment across New Zealand. The data is not exhaustive but captures a significant sample of sites.
The database shows 52.9% of all fuel is fossil gas (exclusively across the North Island) which accounts for 72% of all emissions captured in the RHDD. Coal (mainly in the South Island) makes up 12.4% of energy consumption and accounts for 24.1% of all the emissions.
All the other fuels observed have a comparatively small emissions impact except for by-products, which is mostly black liquor in the wood product manufacturing sector. And this provides for only 1.1% of all associated emissions.
“Burning fossil fuels up and down the country to supply process heat for industry results in over 8 million tonnes of CO2e, or more than a quarter of New Zealand’s overall energy emissions per year,” said Richard Briggs, EECA Group Manager, Delivery and Partnerships.
"While we can achieve emissions reductions through demand reduction and energy efficiency projects, realising comprehensive decarbonisation of process heat necessitates transitioning from fossil fuels to low-emission alternatives such as wood fuels in boilers or electricity via electric boilers or heat pumps."
“This database represents the most thorough and inclusive evaluation of heat demand throughout New Zealand. It will provide businesses with the right information to make informed decisions to transition to renewable fuels and a low emission economy."
The data reflects about 70% of the process heat consumption in the country. While Auckland has the most sites with 191 and the most boilers with 307, Waikato has the largest overall energy consumption, primarily from the wood manufacturing sector. However, Taranaki has the highest emissions profile in the country, mainly due to oil and gas production.
Dairy product manufacturing dominates fuel use in all South Island regions, with meat product manufacturing next, except in the Nelson /Marlborough /Tasman region where the indoor cropping sector is the biggest emitter.
“This data gives us a great representation of the extent of fossil fuel use and where the pressure points lie – and we are ready to tackle them,” said Briggs.
“There are already great initiatives happening all around New Zealand. Businesses are engaged, they want to become more energy efficient and reduce reliance on fossil fuels – they are ready to take action. We want to build on this momentum and work with industry to do more.”
In addition to the RHDD, EECA has updated its Energy End Use Database, which provides the latest data on energy use in New Zealand homes and businesses, use of fossil fuel and low-carbon energy, and how the transition to low-carbon energy is tracking.
The dataset is accessible through an online tool that visualises data, making it easy to explore with interactive features. The tool uses annual energy demand data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. It estimates delivered energy for different fuel types, sectors, end uses, and technologies.
Regional Heat Demand Database Overview
Additional information
Process heat is the energy used to create heat – mainly by the industrial and commercial sectors for industrial processes and manufacturing.
The Regional Heat Demand Database
EECA’s Regional Heat Demand Database is an open database that records the location and profile of existing process heat demand by region and sector across New Zealand as well as other useful breakdowns.
- The process heat sites have a capacity of 500kW or greater and use fossil fuels.
- Data is aggregated by region and by sector to maintain anonymity for the sites.
- Data from 713 sites are recorded.
- 1279 boilers or equipment are recorded.
- The data collection is a collaborative effort between EECA, Transpower, and Electricity Distribution Businesses across the country, with data collection led by Deta Consulting.