WELLINGTON, March 12 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand generated a record 96.4 percent of its electricity from renewable sources in the final quarter of 2025, government statistics showed on Thursday.
The latest Energy Quarterly release from the Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment (MBIE) reflects strong renewable electricity generation from October to December 2025.
Favorable hydro conditions and continued growth in utility-scale solar were key contributors, sharply reducing reliance on natural gas and driving emissions from electricity generation to their lowest level on record, said MBIE Domains Manager Amapola Generosa.
Hydro generation rose 8 percent from a year earlier, thanks to favorable water conditions, while solar generation jumped more than 70 percent year on year, with continued growth from new grid-scale solar farms connecting, Generosa said.
Natural gas-fired generation fell 52 percent year on year to its lowest quarterly level since the March quarter of 1980, the report said.
National electricity consumption rose 6.5 percent to 10,045 GWh, led by higher agricultural and industrial demand, statistics showed. ■
