Portfolio: Energy And Resources

Appointments to the Electricity Authority

Beehive — Thu, 31 May 2012 03:46:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

Two members of the Electricity Authority have been reappointed, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley announced today. David Bull and Roger Sowry have both been reappointed for five years, effective 1 June 2012. “Both have served on the Electricity Authority since its establishment in November 2010,” said Mr Heatley. “The reappointments provide the Authority with continuity of expertise and experience,” he said. ...

Thousands more NZ homes to be insulated

Admin — Thu, 24 May 2012 02:11:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Budget 2012

An extra 41,000 New Zealand homes will be warmer, drier and healthier, thanks to the extension of the Government’s Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme. The insulation programme has been extended in Budget 2012 to insulate a total of 230,000 homes. “Up to another 120,000 New Zealanders will be better off from the health and energy efficiency benefits provided by an insulated home,” Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley says. ...

Making Kiwi companies more productive

Beehive — Wed, 23 May 2012 07:47:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

The 2012 EECA Awards winners prove that good energy use brings strong economic benefits, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley said at the Awards ceremony in Auckland tonight. Mr Heatley presented this year’s Supreme Award to national carrier Air New Zealand. “Air New Zealand is a great exemplar of why New Zealand businesses have so much to gain from improving their use of energy,” Mr Heatley said. ...

Release of Northland Aeromagnetic Survey Data

Beehive03 — Wed, 23 May 2012 04:49:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

It’s with great pleasure that I am launching the Northland region aeromagnetic survey data today. The 2011 survey was a significant investment in the future of Northland by the Government, in partnership with the Far North District Council, the Northland Regional Council and Enterprise Northland. I’m excited about the value of this investment for the people of Northland, and for New Zealand as a whole. ...

Survey data gives Northland ‘a real edge’

Admin — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:45:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

A major project on the geology of Northland has come to fruition with today’s release of the 2011 aeromagnetic survey data, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley said at a launch function in Paihia. “The data will be a huge asset to Northland. It will give Northpland a real edge,” he said. “We now have a rich database that will be invaluable for a wide range of engineering, scientific and public good science applications. ...

Celebration of the WUNZ 150,000th insulated house

Beehive03 — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:41:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

I’m really pleased to be here today, celebrating the milestone of 150,000 homes insulated as part of the Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme. Altogether, close to 170,000 households have benefited from getting insulation and/or clean heating installed under the programme. For a bit of context, we estimate that there were about 20,000 insulation retrofits before this programme got started. Around half of these were happening with an EECA subsidy, and half were privately funded. ...

Insulation programme reaches 150,000 houses

Admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:45:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

Helen Jennings, Mike Treadgold, and their children Hailey and Charlotte with Housing Minister Phil Heatley at their Auckland house, being insulated today under the Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme. The programme celebrated its 150,000th house at a function in Auckland this morning The Government’s programme to help insulate New Zealand homes has now reached the milestone of 150,000 insulated homes, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley announced today. “Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart is making a real difference to the lives of New Zealanders,” Mr Heatley said. “Each of those 150,000 homes now insulated represents an average of between two and three New Zealanders, so we can be confident that around 450,000 New Zealanders are now better off. ...

Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Annual Conference (Adelaide)

Beehive03 — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:03:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

High Commissioner Martyn Dunne, thank you for hosting this function tonight. I want to open by acknowledging Hon David Ridgway from the South Australian Parliament as well as the many New Zealand and international guests from the oil and gas sector. I know almost all of you have travelled from across Australia or from overseas to attend APPEA, and be here with us tonight. ...

Government welcomes Pike River mine sale

Beehive — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:41:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

The Government welcomes the confirmation today of the conditional sale of the Pike River Coal Mine assets to Solid Energy, the Minister of Energy and Resources, Phil Heatley, said tonight. “The sale, conditional on a number of mostly procedural matters including transfer of the mining permit, is a positive step towards determining the future of resource development at the mine,” he said. ...

Australasian Housing Institute Awards Ceremony

Beehive03 — Thu, 03 May 2012 06:13:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

Thank you. I’m delighted to be here today to meet you and talk to you, and of course to present this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award. Affordable, well-planned housing has a wonderful effect on people's lives. Good housing helps to build vibrant and supportive communities and provide children with a safe, healthy environment in which to to grow up. ...

Marsden Point expansion to create 700 jobs

Beehive — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:41:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley today welcomed the announcement of a $365 million refining expansion at Marsden Point in Whangarei that will create 700 new jobs. “This is great news for the industry and the local community,” Mr Heatley said. “Spending $365 million on this upgrade will mean 700 new jobs, higher energy efficiency and fewer carbon emissions. That’s fantastic news for Whangarei and for the energy industry in New Zealand.” ...

Quality information on oil and gas resources

Admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:05:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley has welcomed the launch of Petroleum Basin Explorer, a new petroleum exploration data portal developed by GNS Science. “To realise the potential of our oil and gas resources, we must attract reputable operators who are willing to invest in exploration,” said Mr Heatley. “Providing good quality information has been a key part of New Zealand’s strategy for attracting that investment. Launching the portal as the 2012 petroleum block offers are being finalised is perfect timing. ...

Opening of the Hanson Court Apartments Complex

Beehive03 — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:26:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

Thanks for inviting me here today for the opening of the upgraded Hanson Court apartments. The Wellington City Council has done a superb job on this upgrade. I congratulate them on that and for their commitment to providing quality, affordable housing for vulnerable Wellingtonians. Wellington City Council Housing Upgrade Project ...

Government welcomes Canterbury energy awareness campaign

Admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:22:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley today welcomed the launch in Canterbury of a campaign to raise energy awareness. The Christchurch Agency for Energy (CAfE) has launched EA12, a public awareness programme for 2012, starting with events in April and May. “I applaud CAfE’s initiative, which will help Cantabrians use energy more efficiently and encourage them to look for opportunities to use renewable energy. ...

NZ Wind Energy Association Conference

Beehive03 — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 01:14:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

This is one of the first chances that I have had as Minister to meet senior people from a very important sector of the renewable electricity generation industry. I’m looking forward to getting to know your business better. I thought I’d start with the big picture. New Zealand is a fortunate country in its range of energy resources: we’ve got minerals, oil and gas, wind, hydro and geothermal in various stages of development – it’s a long and exciting list. ...

Minister welcomes inquiry into fracking

Admin — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:26:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley has welcomed the inquiry into fracking announced today by Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Jan Wright. “I look forward to the results of this inquiry. It will enable us to move forward with confidence and a clear understanding of what’s fact and what’s fiction,” Mr Heatley said. “This inquiry will enable us to consider all our options around fracking, from the consenting process through to work in the field. ...

Energy Management Association 2012 Conference On ‘Smart Cities’

Beehive03 — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 02:35:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

Good morning, and thank you for your invitation to address this conference. I commend you for your choice of theme – Smart Cities – which is so very relevant to the Christchurch rebuild. You’ve assembled a very interesting line-up of speakers. As I am relatively new to the Energy and Resources portfolio, I am also pleased to have the opportunity to get to know the Energy Management Association a little better. Building issues are of course more familiar to me because of my role as Minister of Housing. ...

Renewable energy goal a step closer

Beehive — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 03:55:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

The contribution of renewable energy sources to total annual electricity generation increased to 77 per cent in 2011 from 74 per cent in 2010, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley announced today. “This is another positive step towards the Government’s goal of 90 per cent renewable generation by 2025,” Mr Heatley said. Wind generation increased to 4.5 per cent total generation in 2011, and geothermal generation increased to 13.4 per cent of total generation. ...

Minister attends international energy forum in Kuwait

Beehive — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 23:55:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley heads overseas today to attend the 13th International Energy Forum Ministerial Meeting in Kuwait. The IEF is the world’s largest gathering of Energy Ministers. Its 88 member countries account for 90 per cent of global oil and gas supply and demand. It is the world’s leading forum for producer/consumer dialogue within the global energy sector, and on energy issues affecting the world. ...

Government welcomes Pike River sale

Admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 01:51:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

The Government welcomes the news of the sale of Pike River Mine to Solid Energy, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley said today. “This is a positive step towards a commercial re-opening of the mine. We expect Solid Energy to commit to use its best endeavours to recover the bodies of the deceased miners. “Any plan for re-opening the mine and recovering the bodies will need to be safe and credible. The Government is not prepared to see any further lives lost at the mine,” says Mr Heatley. ...

Crown Minerals Act review gets under way

Beehive — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:30:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

The Government is asking New Zealanders for feedback on proposals to improve the legislation governing oil, gas and mineral permitting. Minister of Energy and Resources Phil Heatley today released a discussion paper outlining the proposed changes to the Crown Minerals Act 1991, and associated regulations and programmes. “Energy and mineral resources are major export earners for New Zealand and there is huge potential for them to contribute even more to the economy,” he said. ...

New Zealand Downstream Forum

Beehive03 — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 03:40:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

Good morning and thank you for your invitation to give the opening address at your 2012 Forum. This is the first chance that I have had, since taking up the Energy and Resources portfolio, to meet with a cross-section of senior people from the energy industry. It is good to be here. I thought that I would talk first about an important milestone that occurred in the past few months, and which will have a major impact on shaping the way in which the energy industry moves forward over the next few years. ...

Unlocking Northland’s economic potential

Beehive — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 01:48:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley today welcomed moves by the Ministry of Economic Development to consult on the exploration potential of the Northland region’s mineral resources. The consultation process formally begins today on specific areas proposed to be included in a competitive tender for metallic mineral exploration permits. This is the first step of a new economic opportunity for the region, Mr Heatley said. ...

2012 proposed block offer released

Beehive — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:47:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley has welcomed the latest “block offer” process for awarding oil and gas exploration permits in selected areas, released today by the Ministry of Economic Development. The 2012 proposed block offer covers 25 areas. “While we don’t necessarily expect exploration to be undertaken in all the blocks on offer this year, this is an important step in developing New Zealand’s significant resource wealth,” the Minister said. ...

Government welcomes jobs and growth in Taranaki

Beehive — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:57:00 +0000

Steven Joyce | Economic Development

The Government is welcoming a likely $250 million a year increase to exports and the 500 additional construction jobs as part of the agreement announced this afternoon by the Todd Corporation and Methanex New Zealand to increase methanol production in Taranaki. Methanex is entering into a 10 year contract with Todd that enable it to restart the second methanol manufacturing train at its Motunui facility, north of New Plymouth. ...

New Zealand’s oil reserves target met for 2012

Admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:52:00 +0000

Phil Heatley | Energy and Resources

New Zealand has secured oil reserves for 2012 that ensure the country will continue to meet its international obligations, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley announced today. “As a member of the International Energy Agency, New Zealand is required to hold 90-days of stock of the previous year’s net oil imports,” says Mr Heatley. “New Zealand's total 90-day obligation for 2012 is 1.1 million tonnes. The majority of these reserves are commercial stocks held by companies in the oil and gas sector,” says Mr Heatley. ...