Wood fuel benefits beg for attention, say backers
Carbon News, 23 May 2018
New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions could be cut by more than 640,000 tonnes a year by burning wood instead of coal in boilers in the Otago region alone.
But to make it happen, someone will need to come up with more than $3 million of funding.
The Bioenergy Association says the figures in a new report highlight again that the Government is failing to pick the low-hanging fruit when it comes to emissions reduction.
The report was commissioned by the Otago Mayoral Forum, the Bioenergy Association and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, and follows the Wood Energy South project in Southland which has led to cuts of more than 80,000 tonnes a year.
In the report, Ahika Consulting says that with 367 boilers (40% of which burn coal) and more than 125,000 hectares of production forest, there is significant potential for emissions cuts in Otago.