What goes into a Grid Blueprint?
Explore our scenarios
Creating the Grid Blueprint
Where are we at? October 2026
We are running the final stages of our modelling and bringing the work together is preparation for the 2027 launch of our first, draft Grid Blueprint.
This involves looking across the Network Development Plans we developed and identifying a series of least-regrets investments for the 2030s and 2040s that enable the lowest-cost pathway to a reliable and sustainable electricity future.
These least-regrets investments will form the basis on our Grid Blueprint.
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What goes into a Grid Blueprint?
When creating a Grid Blueprint you need four key inputs. You will find these in Publications - Inputs into the Grid Blueprint.
Demand forecasting - what could New Zealand be like in 2050? For demand forecasting we created five future scenarios.
Generation stack - the current and forecast cost of developing new generation.
Transmission options - the technical options available to feasibly increase the capacity of our transmission network, maximise existing capacity or how new and emerging technologies can be used.
Consultation and ongoing engagement - hearing the views of industry and gathering feedback on our work is fundamental to how our work has progressed.
These inputs are tested through power system and electricity market modelling, energy trilemma considerations, and cost-benefit assessment to inform the Grid Blueprint.
The way we are developing our Grid Blueprint is summarised below.
For a more detailed description, read Te Kanapu Technical Approach Executive Summary (PDF, December 2025)
Explore our scenarios
- Te Kanapu - Our energy scenarios (published June 2026 - reproduced from Consultation 3 Future Direction - Our energy scenarios)
- Energy Scenarios Data Book (published March 2026)
- List of acronyms used
Use this dashboard to explore our five future scenarios in more detail.
Unless stated, these are the finalised scenarios. Data does not represent an official forecast and should not be taken as such.
Creating the Grid Blueprint
We published a suite of documents outlining the technical approach we will use to create the Grid Blueprint. You will find these in Publications - Methodology for developing the Grid Blueprint.
These documents outline how we will take the electricity demand projections from our potential scenarios, run them through power system and electricity market modelling and use the results to understand what investment may be needed to realise each scenario.
Electricity market modelling - our process for assessing the economics that drive market dynamics.
Power system modelling - our process for assessing the physics of the electricity system to make sure the system is stable and reliable.
Resilience and reliability - our approach to assessing resiliency benefits of the transmission network.
Cost benefit assessment - an overview of our cost benefit assessment, outline the guiding principles and key decision points.
This results in different Network Development Plans that deliver different levels of benefit. By looking across these plans, we will identify a series of least-regrets investments for the 2030s and 2040s as part of our Grid Blueprint.
We welcome feedback on our work. Please contact us at [email protected] if you’d like to talk or have any questions.