New Zealand, like many countries around the world, is facing two significant challenges:

Finding the energy needed to power the economy; and

Transitioning to a more sustainable energy future.

The Sustainable Energy Futures - Outlook 2050 project is a business initiative using participants’ combined resources to develop a better understanding of the sustainable energy options for New Zealand out to 2050. The project develops a number of scenarios which will provide future generations with comparable or greater options than we have today. Under each scenario potential solutions are suggested to help Government, companies and New Zealanders make informed choices about what they want to happen.

The project’s aims include:

Providing a framework to assess how New Zealand might achieve energy sustainability by 2050.

Providing scenarios and pathways to show how we can continue to grow, innovate and develop apace with other OECD countries.

Using the scenarios to identify the options available and the timeframe for decisions that need to be made to develop our energy infrastructure.

Growth is a fundamental requirement for economic and social development. The scenarios illustrate how sufficient energy to fuel New Zealand’s growth may be obtained.

This work has been facilitated by the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development (The Business Council). The project team comprises: Energy companies (BP, Meridian Energy, Mighty River Power, Shell, Solid Energy); Transport providers (Honda and Toyota); Electricity network companies (Orion, WEL Networks); Research or business associations (Coal Association, Energy Federation, NIWA, PEPANZ); and, on the demand side, Business New Zealand.