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Home Sustainability at Genesis Transitioning to a Low Carbon Future | Genesis NZ
As New Zealand's primary thermal electricity generator, Genesis recognises the need to understand and reduce the impact of our activities on the environment. Our current focus areas are emissions – helping New Zealand transition to a low carbon future, and environmental management, especially around water & wildlife. In 2018 we released our Sustainability Statement and Sustainability Framework, which contain further detail about our overall approach to sustainability.

Genesis is taking action to reduce emissions while balancing climate change considerations, New Zealand's increasing energy demand profile and the need to make sure our customers have a reliable energy supply. Information about our compliance with Emissions Trading Scheme obligations can be found here and details of our carbon footprint from our emissions are contained in the Annual Report and the Genesis Sustainability Update.

Future-gen: Genesis’ low carbon future programme

We share New Zealand’s aspiration to move further and faster to a lower carbon future. We also believe in the potential for electricity to be the enabler of New Zealand’s lower carbon future.

The Future-gen programme is the lens through which we are identifying opportunities to decarbonise New Zealand’s energy sector while continuing to supply reliable, affordable electricity.

We have already made a significant contribution to reducing New Zealand’s carbon footprint,  reducing our carbon emissions substantially over the past decade, all while continuing to supply the electricity New Zealand homes and businesses rely on.

Through Future-gen we will continue our track record of reducing carbon emissions in the electricity sector whilst not materially impacting the cost of electricity for New Zealand homes and businesses.

The key ways we will do this are:

More renewables:

Such as Genesis and Tilt Renewables’ recently announced Waipipi Wind Farm in Taranaki. As transport and industrial heating sectors look to electrify in the coming years projects such as this will meet the increased demand with affordable, renewable generation.

Manage the transition:

Genesis is working to reduce and mitigate our existing emissions through partnerships such as Drylandcarbon, a partnership between Genesis, Contact, Z Energy and Air New Zealand. This partnership will establish forests that will help offset carbon emissions from the partner companies.

New technologies:

Genesis will actively seek new technologies that could contribute to a more renewable future. We recently became a member of the NZ Hydrogen Association and we will support Government initiatives exploring advances in energy. We are also driving efficiencies across our generation fleet.

Genesis has developed an Environmental Management Framework which utilises a number of different business systems to manage the company's environmental impact. The framework has been tailored to suit the specific nature of our business, legislative requirements and our stakeholders' needs.

Environmental effects are managed via the Genesis Environmental Management Framework and vary depending on whether the activities are associated with its hydro generation sites at Tongariro, Waikaremoana and Tekapo, its thermal generation site at Huntly, or wind generation at Hau Nui.
Environmental mitigation and initiatives
Further information