EECA’s Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA) has been bolstered with a panel of expert providers who will work with some of New Zealand’s largest energy users to get them off fossil fuels and reaping the benefits of energy efficiency.
The ETA programme was launched to enable our largest energy users – those that emit more than 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per annum - to take a leading role in New Zealand’s low carbon future. Most of these emissions come from fossil-fuelled process heat. Businesses use 51% of New Zealand’s energy – excluding transport – and generate 42% of our energy-related emissions, so decarbonising industrial processes will have a huge, positive, impact.
It is part of EECA’s wider Gen Less work to promote clean and clever energy solutions in order to take positive action on climate change. In 2019, EECA research revealed 74% of businesses think they have a moral duty to minimise their impact on the environment, and that 88% of New Zealanders want business to do more about it.
Under the ETA, EECA could fund up to 40 percent of the cost of an initial ETA Opportunities Assessment, performed by a member of the provider panel. The assessment identifies options for reducing energy-related emissions and saving energy costs in the short- and long-term. The result is a strategic roadmap to reduce energy-related emissions, covering everything from optimising existing assets, evaluating the introduction of innovative technologies, through to replacing end-of–life fossil-fuelled infrastructure with sustainable fuel options.
Eddie Christian, EECA Group Manager, Investment and Engagement, says “We expect ETA outcomes to reach well beyond carbon reduction. Businesses making tangible progress towards significant emissions reduction will win a competitive advantage, improve brand perceptions and productivity, reduce energy-related costs, and become more resilient to market changes.
“And of course, having our largest energy users take a leadership role in this space will provide lessons that can be applied by other organisations, large or small.”
Organisations eligible for the ETA will be among New Zealand’s largest energy users with high energy-related carbon emissions from the private sector, and energy-intensive public sector agencies including government, hospitals and universities.
Find out more, including eligibility and how to apply: Energy Transition Accelerator
List of consultancies on the Programme Partner Panel
- Arup
- Aurecon
- Beca
- DETA Consulting
- Elemental Group
- Energy NZ
- Ernst & Young
- Lumen
- Stantec
- Worley