Fuelling a Resilient, Low-Emissions Future
As Aotearoa New Zealand transitions to a low-emissions energy system, the spotlight is increasingly turning to renewable gas and clean fuels such as hydrogen, biogas, and emerging Power-to-X technologies. These flexible, storable, and exportable energy carriers offer a substitute to natural gas, and the potential to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors such as transport, industry, and agriculture.
With a long-established gas industry, robust infrastructure, and transferable expertise, Taranaki is already laying the groundwork for the next generation of energy innovation.
Biogas
With industry and infrastructure already in the region for natural gas, coupled with strong agricultural, food processing, manufacturing and engineering expertise, Taranaki is natural location to lead on biogas and biomethane development and solutions. These renewable gases can displace fossil gas across heat, electricity, and transport applications, helping decarbonise the energy system while turning waste into value.
Key opportunities include:
- Anaerobic digestion of organic waste from agriculture, wastewater, and food processing
- Upgrading biogas to biomethane, making it compatible with existing gas networks
- Landfill gas capture and utilisation, reducing emissions and generating local energy
- Local heat and power generation for industry, farms, and communities
Locally-led Biogas Initiatives
Taranaki based energy companies, Clarus and Powerco, are at the forefront of some national initiatives.
There is real potential to scale near-term deployment of biogas technologies in Taranaki, particularly where waste infrastructure and gas pipelines are already in place.
Biogas complements hydrogen and electricity by offering a dispatchable, renewable option that can help balance the energy system, reduce waste, and create new employment and investment opportunities in regional Aotearoa.
Additionally, Venture Taranaki is working with industry and stakeholders to realise the potential of biogas/biomethane development in the region, apply the regions engineering expertise to advance anaerobic digestion and forge new research prospects through the Taranaki Applied Research Centre. Learn more here.
Hydrogen: A Catalyst for Transition
In 2019, Venture Taranaki released the H₂ Taranaki Roadmap — one of the world’s earliest regional hydrogen strategies. It set out a clear vision for how hydrogen can support both the region’s transition to a low-emissions economy, while creating new jobs, attracting investment, and building a strong export platform.
Key Opportunities
- Hydrogen Production and Infrastructure: Developing hydrogen production facilities and refuelling infrastructure that builds upon the existing energy sector capabilities, enabling the development of integrated hydrogen networks across New Zealand.
- Energy Storage and Grid Stability: Utilising depleted gas fields for hydrogen storage and integrating green hydrogen into gas-fired peaker plants can provide rapid-response electricity during peak demand periods, enhancing grid stability.
- Industrial Decarbonisation: Transitioning heavy industrial energy users to green hydrogen feedstocks supports major decarbonisation efforts while leveraging existing skills and infrastructure.
- Export Potential: With Port Taranaki's experience in handling industrial chemical products, the region can become a key hub for hydrogen export, connecting to international supply chains and supporting the transition of the energy services sector.
- Transport Decarbonisation: Hydrogen offers a zero-emissions solution for hard-to-electrify transport modes such as heavy freight, buses, and marine vessels. Building a national hydrogen refuelling network and enabling fleet transition unlocks a key pathway to reducing emissions in the transport sector.
Locally-led Hydrogen Initiatives
Taranaki businesses are actively turning hydrogen opportunities into real-world projects — demonstrating leadership across production, distribution, storage, and technology innovation.
- National Hydrogen Refuelling Network: Taranaki-based Hiringa is developing the country’s first commercial-scale hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, enabling heavy transport fleets to switch to zero-emissions fuel. Supporting Hiringa has been a range of Taranaki companies demonstrating the transferability of their oil and gas energy expertise.
- Hydrogen Pipeline Blend: Taranaki-based Clarus is at the forefront of New Zealand’s first hydrogen blending pilot, which will see a small amount of hydrogen blended with national gas into a segment of our national gas pipeline.
- Kapuni Green Hydrogen Project: In partnership with Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Hiringa is constructing a green hydrogen facility at Kapuni. Powered by wind, it will produce hydrogen for local transport and industrial use, demonstrating how hydrogen can decarbonise both mobility and manufacturing.
Power-to-X
As the region develops offshore wind and other renewables, Taranaki could generate more electricity than it needs. Power-to-X offers a strategic way to store and monetise that surplus energy, especially by:
- Decarbonising energy-intensive industries
- Producing low-carbon exports like green ammonia and e-methanol
- Supporting energy resilience and seasonal storage
- Creating new economic value chains and skilled jobs
In 2021, Venture Taranaki released Power-to-X paper, a report outlining how the region can convert surplus renewable electricity into valuable products like green hydrogen, ammonia, and e-methanol — driving deep decarbonisation and creating new export industries.
Power-to-X creates a crucial link between renewable power and hard-to-abate sectors like industry, shipping, and aviation. It enables deep decarbonisation, energy storage, and global market access.