Oil & gas exploration

[harm_less]

This is a well researched and written piece on the foolishness of Shane Jones' and the coalition's fossil fuel strategy.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/5688...rgy-crisis

The Key years saw crude oil prices peak at close to USD150 and decline to ~USD30. That peak coincided with Kupe flowing and 'payback' expected in mere weeks. Those days are long gone but Jones fails to see reality and continues to flog the dead horse. NZ needs to invest in renewables as Australia and the UK have or our electricity supply system will fail us, and soon.

Also worth noting that the Taranaki Think Big projects were built on the back of plentiful natural gas supply so their futures are now very much under threat. Those dominoes will topple as the gas wells are exhausted with major implications for their positions in the NZ export economy. Marsden Point has closed, Motunui looks likely to halt production again this winter and what of Ballance's urea plant? The buzzards are circling.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Never be cheaper to do these projects than right now...

[Lilith7]

If we could manage not to have idiots in charge, that'd be a good start...

[harm_less]

If we could manage not to have idiots in charge, that'd be a good start...

I think not so much 'idiots' as underlings carrying out their lobbyists' wants.

[Lilith7]

If we could manage not to have idiots in charge, that'd be a good start...

I think not so much 'idiots' as underlings carrying out their lobbyists' wants.

Yes - we need to do away with lobbying.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

South Australia knows how to do that...

[Lilith7]

South Australia knows how to do that...

Indeed - not often we can say 'well done, the Aussies.'

[harm_less]

From the discussions circulating in the oil & gas industry presently the situation regarding New Zealand's energy supplies is far more dire than what Kirsty Johnson states in the RNZ report. The short term viability of not only the Ballance plant but also Maui and therefore Methanex are under real threat with issues that are likely to reach the public forum within the next 12 months. The only exploration company within grasping range of the $200m government handout is not in a position to put up the required funds to implement a drilling campaign and no existing gas fields have any viable upgrades possible so we're pretty much stuck with the present increasingly rapid decline of those currently in production. 

The future viability of our energy sector will be one of the key issues of next year's election, along with the health sector, construction industry, unemployment, cost of living and the environment, and now the RUC strategy. As I said above, the buzzards are circling. And the chances of our current government getting a second chance to fulfill their empty promises seems pretty remote.