"Improved environmental sustainability of electricity generation, including more wind farm developments, should be a major benefit from the Government's response to the Inquiry into the electricity industry" said Peter Browne, acting chairman of the New Zealand Wind Energy Association.

The Association is pleased that Government has established an objective of ensuring that electricity is generated and delivered in an environmentally sustainable manner. Burning gas to generate electricity while hydro resources are being run to waste has been one particularly poor result from the new competitive electricity industry.

To meet New Zealand's Kyoto Protocol obligations we must make sure that gas is used in the most efficient way possible to minimise greenhouse gases.

Allowing community owned electricity network companies to establish themselves as generators once again, and the removal of limits on the ownership of generators for new renewable generation sources, such as wind farms, should be a great help to the wind energy industry.

"Proposals to ensure that there are acceptable mechanisms to allow small distributed electricity generators to be connected to networks will be very welcome to those who want to generate their own power using wind or solar energy sources", said Mr. Browne.

For more information please contact:
Peter Browne, Acting Chairperson NZWEA, 04 476 4656, OR 025 402 186.
Ian Shearer, Manager NZWEA, 025 306 004

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