| Title | Commercial Arrangements Underpinning Aotearoa New Zealand’s Industrial Scale Geothermal Operations |
|---|---|
| Authors | M. Climo, A. Blair, A. Campbell, B. Carey |
| Year | 2022 |
| Conference | New Zealand Geothermal Workshop |
| Keywords | geothermal energy, geothermal electricity generation, renewable energy, business structure, direct use, geoheat, Geothermal: The Next Generation (GNG) |
| Abstract | Geothermal energy offers a proven, indigenous, renewable resource, with capacity to supply greater levels of primary energy, green electricity and green heat as New Zealand transitions to a lower emission, more climate resilient economy. Deeper geothermal exploration could lead to additional growth in the geothermal sector, supplying more renewable energy for New Zealand as the nation decarbonises. However, exploring deeper comes with a greater risk profile than present geothermal developments that are accessing shallower resources. New Zealand’s legislative environment has established the regulatory regimes that manage access to geothermal energy resources, environmental effects, health and safety, and the rights associated with land ownership, including rights to geothermal resources. This paper overviews the current business venture arrangements of large geothermal operations, both electricity and process heat (geoheat), and considers what type of business venture arrangements might be best placed to accelerate deep geothermal exploration and with successful exploration the subsequent development investment. |