The Maori translation for New Zealand is “Aotearoa” or “land of the long white cloud"... but there is also plenty of sun and wind! New Zealand’s capital is nicknamed ‘Windy Wellington’, so there must be a potential for renewable energy development, right?  

Mid-December our deputy Director Paul Janssen visited New Zealand. Together with business developer and local Eugene Bajema, he explored the opportunities for consultancy on wind and solar enerrgy development. Energy use in New Zealand is 40% electricity (of which normally over 90% is already fully renewable) but 60% still needs to be electrified/carbonized. 

Meeting NZ's growing energy needs 

Although New Zealand already benefits from 90%+ renewable electricity sourced from geothermal, wind, solar, and hydro power, the prospects are promising for us as consultants. Fluctuating water levels in hydropower lakes due to climate change and a steady rise in electricity demand create new challenges. The pace of renewable energy generation and decarbonisation is accelerating to meet this demand. 

However, this sparsely populated and geographically stretched country faces grid-related challenges. Much of its infrastructure is ageing and fragile, making it vulnerable to increasingly frequent storms. With no interconnectors to neighbouring nations, New Zealand must remain entirely self-sufficient in its energy supply. 

Royal HaskoningDHV/Pondera expands renewable energy expertise in New Zealand 

Pondera’s recent merger with Royal HaskoningDHV further strengthens opportunities in this region. With a new office in Auckland opened just months ago, Royal HaskoningDHV/Pondera Consult is already collaborating with Pronewable Development to support wind, solar, and battery energy storage system (BESS) projects currently under development in New Zealand. 

Royal HaskoningDHV's Auckland based country director Sian John is an EIA and social safeguarding expert, who has also worked on (offshore) wind energy development in the UK. Over the next couple of months, we will dive into the opportunities further, also in relation to the renewable energy market developments in neighbouring Australia.