WELLINGTON, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Lower rainfall in the South Island led to well below average inflows to southern hydro lakes and a reduction in hydro generation in the June 2017 quarter, according to the New Zealand Energy Quarterly released on Thursday.
The latest New Zealand Energy Quarterly, released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), covers the period from April to June. It provides quarterly data and analysis on energy supply, demand, prices and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
"In the June 2017 quarter, there was higher rainfall in the North Island," James Hogan, MBIE's Manager of Energy and Building Trends said in a statement.
While this led to a significant increase in North Island hydro generation and went some way to cover the lower output from the South Island, the overall picture is that hydroelectric generation was 2.2 percent lower than the same period in 2016, Hogan said.
The supply was maintained by increased gas-fired electricity generation, which led to the renewable share of electricity generation falling just below 80 percent, which was the lowest quarterly level in two years, he said.
Electricity demand from the residential sector returned to 2015 levels, Hogan said, adding that residential demand was up 4.3 percent from the June 2016 quarter, when warmer than usual temperatures lowered household electricity use.
"While there was low rainfall in parts of the South Island, increased rainfall in the rest of the country lowered the need for irrigation in this quarter. As a result, electricity demand by the agricultural sector was down 17.4 percent from the June 2016 quarter," Hogan said.
Total energy use of gas increased 2.4 percent in the June 2017 quarter in New Zealand, as more gas was used to generate electricity, the quarterly said, adding that there are no significant changes in energy prices and associated greenhouse gas emissions in this quarter.
