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Carbon management

June 2008

Transpower is the owner of New Zealand’s high-voltage electricity transmission grid (the National Grid). The National Grid comprises over 12,000 kms of transmission lines and over 170 substations, and links electricity generators with lines companies and major electricity users. Transpower is also the System Operator responsible for co-ordinating the real time transmission of electricity across the transmission network.

Transpower recognises that climate change is a significant challenge on a global and national scale. The effects of climate change also have significant implications for Transpower’s core business, from how the system copes with connecting increasing amounts of renewable generation, to managing risks of increased climatic events which can impact on its assets and the way the system operates.

Transpower believes that it has an important part to play in addressing climate change.

To do this, Transpower commits to:

• being transparent about its own carbon emissions
• supporting the Government’s Energy Strategy which promotes increased generation of electricity from renewable sources
• actively seeking to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions.

 Transpower will achieve these outcomes by:

• reporting its carbon footprint on an annual basis
• ensuring the network helps meet the Government’s energy strategy target of having 90% of New Zealand’s electricity generated by renewable sources by 2025
• introducing actions and programmes that will improve the environmental sustainability of its operations.

Dr Patrick Strange
Chief Executive Officer