Posts Tagged ‘electricity prices’

Stop the gentailers bribing investors with borrowed capital.

Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, December 10th, 2022 - 47 comments

Brian Easton at Pundit provides a clear overview on what is happening in out large generator / retailer market at present. Their implicit collusion on excessive pricing is profiteering and even using future capital to pay off investors rather than improve the cost of and efficiency usage of power.

Requiem for a smelter

Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, July 9th, 2020 - 53 comments

New Zealand was always a odd place to have a aluminium smelter. Untapped hydroelectricity capacity at the bottom of the world. But thousands of kilometers from raw material sources. Tens of thousands of kilometers from the major markets. Now our ever rising electricity prices show that we really need that 13% of power in our electricity market rather than making aluminium. 

NZ Herald watch – history repeats

Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, February 7th, 2014 - 146 comments

The NZ Herald has a long history of opposing Maori resistance and supporting colonisation. It has always been right wing with a strong commercial focus & MO.  Yesterday it censored news of Waitangi Day protests.  Today an editorial spins in slippery style, for the Govt’s failing PowerCo sales.

NZ Power

Written By: - Date published: 12:02 pm, April 18th, 2013 - 223 comments

At noon today Labour and the Greens jointly announced new energy policies. “NZ Power” is big and it’s bold. It will completely restructure the way the electricity sector is run, and result in lower power prices for both domestic and business consumers.

Labour’s electricity reforms will be bold

Written By: - Date published: 12:21 pm, April 16th, 2013 - 59 comments

A joint Labour / Green announcement on plans for the electricity sector will be made on Thursday. My prediction is that the plan will be bold.

Surplus power and asset sales

Written By: - Date published: 10:03 am, March 28th, 2013 - 55 comments

Apparently Meridian Energy are saying that there is unlikely to be a renewal of the Tiwai Point power contract. This would massively disrupt the value of sales of shares in state owned power companies by this government. However news is being released just before Meridian appears before a select committee.  So I’m anticipating that it is a chicken little play to scare this weak-kneed government into an emergency wastage of taxpayers dollars – just like the Peter Jackson inspired Hobbit extortion.

Nats lied – power prices to rise

Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, August 15th, 2012 - 36 comments

Minister after Minister denied it, but it turns out that common sense is right. Private power companies charge more. Privatisation surely means that prices will rise. Is it even news when this government lies these days?

Asset sales – windfall capital gain for some, higher prices for the rest of us

Written By: - Date published: 5:04 pm, June 14th, 2012 - 33 comments

National rushed its Asset Sales Bill back into the House today. Stephen  Joyce argued that it was to reduce debt, deepen capital markets, and invest in schools etc. One-off asset sales asset increase debt and if schools depend on flogging off more assets, we won’t get many more before the assets run out. The real reason for the sale is the middle one.  Asset sales produce huge windfall capital gains for the buyers. They should be taxed.

Update: Bill went through 61-59 – 2 opposed from Maori Party. Cushion?

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.