Have you noticed your power bill creeping up again? While more than 110,000 Kiwi families struggle to keep the lights on, the Government is pushing ahead with a plan that could lock us into high prices for decades: a billion-dollar Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import terminal.
But there’s a new global reality the Government is ignoring. As researcher Edward Miller points out in his recent newsroom opinion piece, we are seeing a wave of “gas nationalism” reshaping the world.
What is Gas Nationalism?
In simple terms, major gas-producing countries are “pulling up the drawbridge” to prioritise their own citizens over exports.
- Australia: Our closest neighbour often faces its own shortages. From 2027, they will require exporters to reserve 20% of their gas for Australians first.
- The US AI Boom: The United States is facing a massive surge in electricity demand to power AI data centres. This is leading to calls to block exports to keep their own local prices down.
- Global Halts: Countries like Egypt have halted all exports to keep their own factories running.
As Edward Miller puts it, “While traders may love volatility, the emerging pressure of gas nationalism from gas producers worldwide is putting upwards pressure on prices across-the-board.”
Importing Risk, Not Security
The Government calls this LNG terminal an insurance policy for dry years. But connecting our power bills to a tightening, highly political global market isn’t security – it’s a strategic trap.
The math simply doesn’t add up for your household:
- Imported gas electricity is estimated to cost around $300/MWh.
- New homegrown wind and solar cost approximately $135/MWh.
To pay for this expensive infrastructure, the Government is adding a new “Gas Tax” levy to every household’s power bill. We’d be forced to bankroll fossil fuel infrastructure that energy companies themselves have walked away from because it’s too risky.
The Expensive Heater Problem
With the Maui gas field set to close at the end of this year, we do need a plan. But doubling down on fossil fuels is the wrong direction.
As 350 Aotearoa Co-Director Alva Feldmeier says, investing in a billion-dollar LNG terminal is like “buying an expensive gas heater for a house you’re already planning to electrify.” Every dollar spent on this sunset industry is a dollar stolen from the renewable upgrade Aotearoa actually needs.
Our Solution: A 30-Year Strategy
We don’t need more scatter policies or fossil fuel welfare. If the aim is security in a post-Maui world, the priority should be on reducing our exposure – through efficiency, electrification and demand control – rather than assuming that market will safeguard our interests.
We are demanding a 30-year National Energy Strategy that:
- Accelerates community-owned renewables.
- Safeguards families from energy poverty by making affordable power a human right.
- Fixes the broken market that prioritises corporate dividends over people.
Together, we can bring the power home.
Take Action
The Government aims to sign a contract for this terminal by mid-2026. We need to show them that New Zealanders want homegrown energy, not expensive imports.
SIGN THE PETITION: Demand a 30-Year National Energy Strategy