Eight energy organisations issue appeal to political parties for consistent political policies and reforms so it's easier for them to operate

Eight organisations that deal with energy and resources have appealed to politicians to develop consistent and enduring policies to make it easier for them to do their job.

They also want better resource management law, more diverse sources of energy and a strong Emissions Trading Scheme. 

The groups have issued these requests in an open letter to six political parties:  National, Labour, the Greens, Act, New Zealand First and The Opportunities Party.   

The letter puts forward a 10 point plan to "unlock New Zealand's social, economic, and environmental wellbeing."

One of the dominant messages is the need for clear and enduring government policies, which are well signaled and durable. 

"Unclear, short-term policy settings make it harder to bring more energy and resources online and make decarbonisation investments," the open letter says.

It has been written by a range of groups, including the BusinessNZ Energy Council, Electricity Networks Aotearoa, GasNZ and Straterra. 

The letter comes after representatives of all six parties attended a discussion of their polices organised by one of the signatories, Energy Resources Aotearoa.

It also follows warnings of a tight energy supply by Transpower in May, again in June and for a third time this month. 

Along with wanting political consistency, the signatories are also seeking recognition of the so-called "Energy Trilemma".   

This principle urges countries to focus on three vital aspects of energy:  its reliability, its affordability and its sustainability.

Each year, World Energy Council blends these principles together and comes up with global rankings. Last year, New Zealand came eighth in the world, ahead of Australia and the US, but behind Canada, Britain and several European nations.   

The open letter urges politicians to use the trilemma as their main organising principle. 

"Every sector participant wants to provide energy to consumers that is affordable, reliable, and sustainable, so it can be used productively throughout the economy," the letter says.

It also urges governments to be precise when they issue regulations. 

"They should use the right policy tools for the right problem," it says.

"While inevitably overlapping, energy and resources policy and climate change policies have different objectives and problems that require careful analysis and trade-offs to be made."   

This comment follows repeated claims that in discouraging the gas industry in the name of fighting climate change, the Government has reduced energy security and actually encouraged the burning of more coal.   

The open letter also calls for a "robust Emissions Trading Scheme", which could "do the heavy lifting to meet our net zero emissions goal."

This comment follows the price of carbon dropping, then reviving, in two successive and contradictory announcements by the Government.

The letter goes on to call for a more resilient energy system by using a greater variety of energy types, fuels and locations.

"The more options we have, the more resilience, the lower emissions, and lower costs we are likely to face," it says.

It also wants more competitive pricing and "customer-centric innovations, rather than heavy-handed regulations."

And the letter calls for a planning and resource management system that "enables energy generation and mineral assets and other infrastructure to be built in the right place at the right time for the least cost."

It also wants all options for combating emissions kept on the table, including carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).

This technology involves keeping CO2 out of the atmosphere by pumping it into underground caverns, such as depleted gas fields. 

"Carbon capture and renewable gases, biomass and biofuels can all reduce hard-to-abate emissions," the letter says.   

"(Governments should) ensure that regulatory settings allow them to flourish."

The letter also puts in a plug for the mining industry, by asking Governments to "recognise the important role that New Zealand’s domestic mineral resources will have in our low-emissions future."

This is a reference to repeated complaints that rare minerals such as lithium are essential for low-emissions technology and so it is important to allow them to be dug out of the earth. 

The letter also calls for a better trained workforce.  

Climate Change Commission Chairman Rod Carr told interest.co.nz in 2020 that New Zealand needed a 30-year energy plan.