23 Jun 2026
A new insights paper from Transpower’s Te Kanapu programme has been released as part of its work to develop a grid blueprint for 2050.
Te Kanapu aims to identify the least-regrets transmission investments needed for 2050 to enable a growing and thriving New Zealand, and the lowest-cost pathway to a reliable and sustainable electricity system.
The latest paper, Fuelling growth by enabling a diverse mix of generation, is one part of the work.
It explores six different generation and storage options for meeting future demand, analysing the potential cost of each alongside its ability to deliver a reliable, sustainable supply.
Executive General Manager Future Grid John Clarke says that Transpower is acutely aware that affordability and energy security are concerns for everyone.
“Our aim is to identify how to deliver the most affordable, highly reliable and low emissions electricity system that meets the needs of everyone into the future.
“This work suggests that diversity is key. That meeting new demand through a diverse range of generation technologies, geographically spread and shared via networks, may in the long term deliver the most affordable, reliable and sustainable outcome for everyone in New Zealand.”
- Read the Insights paper on our website
- Explore the data behind the insights (xlxs)
- Register for our webinar June 30 at 11:00am
The new generation modelled in the case that performs best across the energy trilemma includes nationwide distributed solar and batteries, utility-scale wind, thermal peakers, geothermal and existing hydro.
This is compared to other options tested, including building out with only local solar and batteries to meet local demand via local supply and potentially avoid any investment in networks be they transmission or distribution.
“A diversified approach is aligned to the way we see the system evolving today with a range of new generation technologies across the country in the current pipeline,” says Mr Clarke.
“It is important to note however, that this work excludes any cost for additional network investment. That’s next in our programme.
“Through recent consultations and the development of five future scenarios, we have explored potential demand growth. This latest insights paper explores different generation options for meeting that demand.
“Now our attention turns to modelling different possible network development plans that will enable both demand and supply, and lead us to our first draft Grid Blueprint.
“The direction New Zealand takes to meet future electricity demand will have an impact on what we need out of our transmission and distribution networks.
“New Zealand has already invested in a vast electricity network that enables us to harness our wealth of renewable resources. We expect that maximising existing capacity and potentially investing further in this network, will form part of our lowest-cost energy future.
“But there are also new technologies to leverage and an increasing demand for distributed energy resources, all of which need to be factored into the discussion and our Te Kanapu work.
“Our next step is to identify the network costs associated with different generation mixes across our five Te Kanapu growth scenarios, to identify what level of network investment, if any, delivers the lowest total system cost to serve a growing economy.”