Photo: Lynn Grieveson
Low hydro lake levels meant power generated by coal more than doubled in the third quarter compared to the previous year.
New data released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), has shown hydro generation between July and September dropped significantly.
Coal was required to make enough power for homes and businesses, despite record wind and geothermal power generation for the period.
Less winter rain this year had shown how reliant the country still was on coal to keep the lights on, ministry spokesperson Amapola Generosa said.
"The combination of low lake levels and a period of reduced wind power generation in early August meant relying on other forms of generation to keep enough power flowing.
"Demand side reduction at our largest industrial electricity user (Tiwai Aluminium Smelter) combined with an increased use of coal and a small amount of diesel were necessary to cover the resulting generation shortfall.
"With hydro generation this quarter down 16.6 percent to 5584 GWh - 48.4 per cent of total generation for the quarter - coal fired generation increased. Electricity generation from coal was 884 GWh; a 156.5 percent increase on the same quarter last year. Coal fired generation made up 7.7 per cent of the overall generation this quarter."
Generosa said while non-renewables got New Zealand through, it meant emissions increased by a third on the previous year.
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