Welcome to MyGridNZ

The independent resource charting the decarbonisation of Aotearoa New Zealand electricity.

For energy professionals & advocacy groups

Model Aotearoa's grid.
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Preloaded scenarios explore lower-cost pathways and dry-year resilience · Real half-hourly data · North & South Island modelling

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Aotearoa New Zealand already generates most of its electricity from renewable sources — hydro, geothermal, and wind — but gas still plays a balancing role and the transition to 100% clean power is not yet complete. How much can expanded wind, solar and battery storage displace the remaining fossil generation? Can Aotearoa New Zealand keep the lights on through dry years and low-wind periods? How can Aotearoa New Zealand use its clean electricity advantage to decarbonise transport and industry?

MyGridNZ charts all of this change. It tells you how much electricity is produced, where that electricity comes from and how much carbon is being emitted — so you can come back again and again to see how Aotearoa New Zealand is tracking against clean power targets. Read more about MyGridNZ.

Aotearoa New Zealand's Electricity Mix

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Renewables
—%
Share of electricity from renewable sources (hydro, wind, solar, geothermal). Green >60% · Amber 40–60% · Red <40%. NZ generates around 85% renewably — one of the highest rates in the world.
Generation
—GW
Total power being generated right now across all sources. The NZ grid typically runs between 3,000 and 7,000 MW depending on time of day and season.
Electricity Independence
—%
Share of electricity coming from fossil fuels (gas, coal, diesel). Lower is better. Green <5% · Amber 5–15% · Red >15%. Gas is mainly used to fill gaps when hydro lakes are low or wind drops.
Carbon Intensity
—gCO₂/kWh
Grams of CO₂ equivalent emitted per kilowatt-hour of electricity — a measure of how clean the grid is right now. Green <100 g · Amber 100–200 g · Red >200 g. NZ's 2030 goal implies around 50 g/kWh.
Thermal Losses
—%
Share of input fuel energy lost as waste heat from gas and coal power stations. Gas turbines convert only ~57% of fuel to electricity; the rest escapes as heat. Lower is better. Green <10% · Amber 10–25% · Red >25%.
New to electricity data? Understanding the basics
What is carbon intensity?
Grams of CO₂ emitted per kilowatt-hour of electricity. A coal plant produces ~820 g/kWh; wind produces ~12 g/kWh. The lower the number, the cleaner the electricity. New Zealand targets near-zero by 2030.
What is renewable electricity?
Power from sources that are naturally replenished — hydro (rivers and lakes), wind, solar and geothermal heat. Unlike gas or coal, they produce no carbon emissions and have near-zero fuel costs once built.
Why does New Zealand use gas?
In dry years, low rainfall means low hydro lakes — and less stored energy to draw on. Gas plants fill the gap. Solving this "dry year problem" without gas is the core challenge the 2030 Blueprint addresses.
What are thermal losses?
Gas and coal power stations burn fuel to make steam to spin a turbine. Only about 35–57% of the fuel becomes electricity — the rest escapes as waste heat. More renewables means fewer thermal losses.
How do the two islands connect?
The North and South Islands are linked by the HVDC Interisland Link — an undersea cable under Cook Strait. It carries up to 1,050 MW northward (South Island hydro to North Island cities) and 750 MW southward.

The 2030 Blueprint

Solve the dry year problem with renewables — not imported LNG.

In dry years, low hydro lakes force New Zealand to burn more fossil gas and risk blackouts. The standard response is to import Liquefied Natural Gas — expensive, slow to procure and shipped from overseas. The 2030 Blueprint shows a different answer: enough wind, solar and battery storage to keep the lights on through even the driest years, with energy that is cheap to run, fast to deploy and entirely locally produced.

Explore the 2030 Blueprint →
Last Month → Half-hourly generation & carbon intensity Last 12 months → Monthly generation mix & trends Historical data → Annual generation since 1998 2030 Blueprint → Clean power simulation & cost

Recent electricity generation

Monthly average generation by fuel type. Hydro and geothermal provide the baseload; wind and solar grow year-round; gas fills the gaps in dry and low-wind periods.

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Conversion & grid losses

Not all energy becomes electricity. Gas turbines convert around 57% of fuel into power; geothermal stations around 15%; biomass around 39%. The rest escapes as waste heat. Geothermal's spare heat is shown separately — it is low-grade steam that can be used directly for heating, horticulture and industrial processes rather than simply lost. A further 6% is lost in transmission. The diagram traces every unit of energy from source to delivered electricity, based on last month's average generation.

Decarbonising Aotearoa New Zealand Electricity

The carbon intensity of Aotearoa New Zealand electricity has fallen over recent years, driven by growth in wind and solar alongside geothermal and hydro. The chart tracks this progress — and how far there is still to go to meet the 2030 clean power target.

Aotearoa New Zealand has a unique opportunity to lead the world in clean electricity. Read more about MyGridNZ.