Natural gas and LPG are currently a critical energy source for more than 500,000* Kiwi homes, commercial and industrial customers – from restaurants and hotels to greenhouses, hospitals and steel makers. At Clarus, we want New Zealanders to continue enjoying the benefits of gas while keeping Aotearoa clean and green. That’s why we’ve spent three years investigating the possibilities of using our pipelines to help provide low carbon gas alternatives to natural gas and LPG: primarily hydrogen, biogas and bioLPG – ultimately helping meet New Zealand’s goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
* Data sourced from: Natural Gas Switching – 311,674 active ICPs in Sep 2023; LPG numbers from GAS NZ 2023 45kg Customer Numbers – 299,898 customers.
Natural gas and LPG are cleaner burning fuels with far lower CO2 emissions than coal [1] but along with the rest of New Zealand’s energy sector – we need to do even better. That’s why we’ve spent three years investigating the possibilities of using our pipelines for low carbon gas alternatives to natural gas and LPG: primarily hydrogen, biogas and bioLPG.
With the support of the government’s Provincial Growth Fund, we’re already looking at how we can use our existing gas pipelines to carry renewable gas to Kiwi homes and businesses, including leading part of a Hydrogen Pipeline Trial and being part of a Biogas Industry Study. We’re also closely following the results of extensive hydrogen research and development in Australia and Europe – where some gas networks are already successfully blending up to 20% hydrogen.
As part of the World Energy Council’s Global Hydrogen Initiative, we’ve committed to introducing a hydrogen blend into our gas pipelines by 2035. Our research shows that we can convert the Firstgas pipeline network to 100% hydrogen by 2050. This step would reduce New Zealand’s energy emissions by nearly 25%.
If you’re currently using natural gas or LPG in your home or business, the good news is that you won’t need to do a thing. Regular appliances will work on a 20% blend of hydrogen, and our network is already set up to deliver it. So you can continue enjoying the benefits of gas while we make it cleaner behind the scenes.
1. Emmisions climate
We’re right behind cleaner gas. That’s why we’re always keeping an eye on other newer technologies to understand their potential and how they can support the energy market in the future.
Here’s a bit more about the low carbon gas alternatives we’re planning to transition our pipelines to carrying.
Hydrogen is made through the electrolysis of water. This type of hydrogen is potentially zero carbon and can either be burned like natural gas or used in a fuel cell to store, and produce electricity at a later time.
Biogas is a direct, low carbon replacement for natural gas and is produced by anaerobic digestion of organic waste (food waste, food processing waste, sewage – anything you can compost).
BioLPG is a direct replacement for LPG, produced from inedible oils and waste animal products during the manufacturing of renewable diesel and other biofuels. Its carbon emissions vary depending on the feedstock and sources of energy.
As a member of the Climate Leaders’ Coalition, we’re 100% behind New Zealand’s goal of net zero carbon emissions. We also want to make sure energy remains affordable and accessible for all Kiwis. It’s a challenge we’ve been working on for some time now, and we believe we’re well on our way to finding a solution.
