Our future prosperity will be shaped by how we plan our energy systems today. Tania Lund, Programme Director at Transpower New Zealand, explains how Te Kanapu is planning a future grid blueprint, and wants your input.

When you think of 2050, what does the Bay of Plenty look like? New technology helping to take horticulture to the next level? Sustainable aviation fuel powering our tourism industry? A high-tech economy exporting New Zealand-built software to the world?

Whatever the future brings, electricity will be at its heart. I work for Transpower as Programme Director of our Te Kanapu initiative. Transpower owns and operates our national electricity transmission system, and Te Kanapu is thinking about what New Zealand’s economy might look like in 25 years, so we can create a future grid blueprint to plan investment in the infrastructure that will power New Zealanders towards a prosperous future.

Attending Priority One’s recent Regional Energy Summit was a great experience. The room was filled with passionate leaders; all committed to shaping the region’s energy future. It reinforced my belief that collaboration is key – bringing together sector, industry, iwi, local government, innovators and community to tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead.

That’s why I’m excited about Te Kanapu and our work to develop our first future grid blueprint. With electricity demand set to rise – due to electric vehicles, the rise of internet- and AI-enabled tools, or green fuel production as some examples – we need to understand what’s driving this demand to inform the future grid blueprint.

We’re currently consulting on five potential future scenarios, shaped by stakeholder views on the future of New Zealand’s economy, global and local trends, social and demographic shifts. Once confirmed, we’ll refine our methodology and investment options to identify the ‘optimal needs’ pathway – investments that make sense in most, if not all, futures.

Getting stakeholder feedback on our potential scenarios is crucial. Without a clear understanding of what might happen, making the right decisions becomes much harder. Your input is invaluable. Have we captured the economic drivers for different parts of New Zealand? Are we depicting the future of key industries accurately? Which scenario aligns with your ambitions for New Zealand?  You don’t have to be an energy expert to provide valuable feedback. 

If you attended the Regional Energy Summit, you’ll have heard about Te Kanapu and the work we’ve done so far. Through this work we believe that we can deliver a transmission grid that enables New Zealand to thrive in a changing world. Now it’s time for everyone to have their say.

Consultation 2 Potential Scenarios is open until 14 November.
Read the consultation document online and share your feedback