Christchurch's $3 Million Kyoto Initiative

A Christchurch City Council plan to collect methane gas from the Burwood landfill site to fire the boilers at the QE2 swimming pool has been awarded 200,000 emissions units under the government's Projects to reduce Emissions programme.

The units could net the Council around $3 million if sold at the prevailing international price of around $15.

"The benefits this project is set to deliver are a direct consequence of New Zealand's decision to be part of global efforts to tackle climate change through the Kyoto Protocol," says Convenor of the Ministerial Group on Climate Change, Pete Hodgson.

"The Council is to be congratulated for taking such a business like approach to reducing emissions and becoming more economically efficient. The scheme is forecast to deliver a net saving of the equivalent of 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide between 2008 and 2012. This will contribute toward global efforts to reduce climate change and so help protect our environment for future generations of New Zealanders," says Minister for Economic Development Jim Anderton.

"Not only that, the units represent a multi million dollar boost to the Council's accounts and the scheme will save around 6.7 million litres of LPG valued, at today's prices, at around $2.5 million between 2008 and 2012."

Under the Programme units are awarded to projects that lead to a net reduction in emissions against business as usual, that would otherwise not go ahead and that are successful in a tender round. To date, 10 million units have been put up for tender.

ENDS

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