New Zealand coal reserves are in excess of 15 billion tonnes, mainly in Waikato, Taranaki, West Coast, Otago and Southland. Over 80% of the reserves are in Southland lignite deposits. These were worth $100 billion in 2010. [1]
Some Maori tribes had known of coal (waro) and its use as cooking fuel, [2] but large-scale mining only commenced with arrival of European settlers.
The types of coal found in New Zealand include lignites, sub-bituminous, bituminous and semi-anthracite coals. [3] However, the geology of many coal fields can be complex, with significant structural tectonic disturbances caused by many fields being found near the boundaries between the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates that run through the country. [3] Unlike most of the world's coals, which are typically 300 to 350 million years old, New Zealand coals were formed between 30 and 70 million years ago. [4] This age difference means New Zealand coals have some valuable properties for specialist uses. [4]
Coal mining by Europeans commenced in New Zealand during the 1840s. It was conducted using hand tools until the early 1900s, when explosives and tools powered by compressed air began to be used. Most coal mining since the early 2000s has used open-cut techniques. [5]
Underground mining for coal is dangerous, and has led to many deaths and injuries in New Zealand. In March 1896, 65 coal miners were killed during the Brunner Mine disaster; as of 2021 this remained New Zealand's most deadly industrial accident. The Pike River Mine disaster in November 2010 caused the deaths of 29 coal miners. [5]
Burning coal for electricity contributes to New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions. [6] [7] The Climate Change Commission has recommended that the use of coal be "phased out as soon as possible". [8] The New Zealand government has a goal of ending the use of coal and other non-renewables for power generation by 2030. [9]
In 2020 New Zealand imported 1.084 million tonnes of coal, of which 90 per cent was sourced from Indonesia and the remainder from Australia. Almost all of the imports were sub-bituminous coal, which produces large quantities of carbon emissions when burnt. [9] Two-thirds of the imported coal was used by the Huntly Power Station, with the remainder being used by New Zealand Steel and Golden Bay Cement. [8]
In May 2023 the New Zealand Government announced that New Zealand Steel would be provided with $NZ140 million in subsidies to transition away from burning coal as part its production processes; it is estimated that this will reduce New Zealand's total greenhouse gas emissions by one per cent. [10] In June that year the government implemented a policy which includes banning the installation of new low and medium temperature coal boilers from July 2023 and phasing out existing such boilers by 2037. [11]
Huntly is a town in the Waikato district and region of the North Island of New Zealand. It was on State Highway 1, 95 kilometres (59 mi) south of Auckland and 32 kilometres (20 mi) north of Hamilton. It is situated on the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) railway and straddles the Waikato River. Huntly is within the Waikato District which is in the northern part of the Waikato region local government area.
This is a timeline of environmental history of New Zealand. It includes notable events affecting the natural environment of New Zealand as a result of human activity.
Cape Foulwind is a headland on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, overlooking the Tasman Sea. It is located 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) west of the town of Westport. There is a lighthouse located on a prominent site on the headland. A walkway beginning at the lighthouse carpark traverses the rocky headland to Tauranga Bay and passes close by a colony of New Zealand fur seals. There is limestone quarry in the area, and a cement works operated nearby from 1958 to 2016.
New Zealand Steel Limited is the owner of the Glenbrook Steel Mill, a steel mill located 40 kilometres south of Auckland, in Glenbrook, New Zealand. The mill was constructed in 1968 and began producing steel products in 1969. Currently, the mill produces 650,000 tonnes of steel a year, which is either used domestically or exported. Over 90% of New Zealand's steel requirements are produced at Glenbrook, while the remaining volume is produced by Pacific Steel, a steel recycling facility in Ōtāhuhu, Auckland. The mill is served by the Mission Bush Branch railway line, which was formerly a branch line to Waiuku. Coal and lime trains arrive daily. Steel products are also transported daily. The mill employs 1,150 full-time staff and 200 semi-permanent contractors.
Sub-bituminous coal is a lower grade of coal that contains 35–45% carbon. The properties of this type are between those of lignite, the lowest grade of coal, and those of bituminous coal, the second-highest grade of coal. Sub-bituminous coal is primarily used as a fuel for steam-electric power generation.
Christchurch Girls' High School in Christchurch, New Zealand, was established in 1877 and is the second oldest girls-only secondary school in the country, after Otago Girls' High School.
Solid Energy was the largest coal mining company in New Zealand and is a state owned enterprise of the New Zealand Government.
Coal is mined in every state of Australia. The largest black coal resources occur in Queensland and New South Wales. About 70% of coal mined in Australia is exported, mostly to eastern Asia, and of the balance most is used in electricity generation. In 2019-20 Australia exported 390 Mt of coal and was the world's largest exporter of metallurgical coal and second largest exporter of thermal coal. While only employing 50,000 mining jobs nationally coal provides a rich revenue stream for governments.
Pike River Coal Ltd was a mining company listed on the New Zealand and Australian stock exchanges. Its primary operation was the Pike River Mine, the site of a mining disaster with 29 deaths on 19 November 2010.
Despite abundant natural resources and a relatively small population, New Zealand is a net importer of energy, in the form of petroleum products. The ratio of non-renewable and renewable energy sources was fairly consistent from 1975 to 2008, with about 70 per cent of primary energy supply coming from hydrocarbon fuels. This ratio decreased to about 60 per cent in 2018. The proportion of non-renewable energy varies annually, depending on water flows into hydro-electricity lakes and demand for energy. In 2018, approximately 60% of primary energy was from non-renewable hydrocarbon fuels and 40% was from renewable sources. In 2007 energy consumption per capita was 120 gigajoules. Per capita energy consumption had increased 8 per cent since 1998. New Zealand uses more energy per capita than 17 of 30 OECD countries. New Zealand is one of 13 OECD countries that does not operate nuclear power stations.
The Brunner Mine disaster happened at 9:30 am on Thursday 26 March 1896, when an explosion deep in the Brunner Mine, in the West Coast region of New Zealand, killed all 65 miners below ground. The Brunner Mine disaster is the deadliest mining disaster in New Zealand's history.
Mining in New Zealand began when the Māori quarried rock such as argillite in times prior to European colonisation. Mining by Europeans began in the latter half of the 19th century.
In New Zealand, agriculture is the largest sector of the tradable economy. The country exported NZ$46.4 billion worth of agricultural products in the 12 months to June 2019, 79.6% of the country's total exported goods. The agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector directly contributed $12.653 billion of the national GDP in the 12 months to September 2020, and employed 143,000 people, 5.9% of New Zealand's workforce, as of the 2018 census.
Glen Afton and Pukemiro are twin settlements in the Waikato District, in northern Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. The nearest town is Huntly, some 14 km (9 mi) away.
Coal in Europe is a term describing the use of coal as an energy source in Europe, including both thermal coal used for power generation and coking coal used for steel production.
Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region. It consists of the southwestern portion of the South Island and includes Stewart Island. Southland is bordered by the culturally similar Otago Region to the north and east, and the West Coast Region in the extreme northwest. The region covers over 3.1 million hectares and spans 3,613 km of coastline. As of June 2023, Southland has a population of 103,900, making it the eleventh-most-populous New Zealand region, and the second-most sparsely populated. Approximately half of the region's population lives in Invercargill, Southland's only city.
The Waro Limestone Scenic Reserve is a conservation area near Waro near Hikurangi, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north of Whangārei on the North Island of New Zealand.
Blackball Museum of Working Class History (Mahi Tupuna) is a museum in Blackball, a small town on the West Coast of New Zealand, that opened in May 2010. The collection celebrates the role of working people in creating the nation and its wealth.
The Runanga Miners' Hall is a hall in the town of Runanga, on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. The current structure dates from 1937, and replaced an early miners' hall from 1908 that was destroyed by fire. The hall is notable for its place in the history of the organised labour movement in New Zealand, and was granted historic place category 1 status by Heritage New Zealand in 2013.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| Coal types by grade (lowest to highest) |  | |
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Note: [1] Peat is considered a precursor to coal. Graphite is only technically considered a coal type. | ||