Plenty of Gas for Consumers Natural gas is not running out and exploration is underway. The run-down of the Maui field and ongoing speculation about future sources of energy for electricity generation have led to a widely-held misconception that gas supplies overall are running out. This is simply not true. There is plenty of gas for the reticulated market, i.e. residential, commercial and industrial users for the foreseeable future. There are a number of other producing wells, such as Kapuni, and new supplies from new wells, such as Pohokura and Kupe are expected to provide sufficient gas.

An exciting find at Turangi-1 was announced in May 2006. And, an announcement was made around the same time that there was a further two years of gas in Maui.

The two sectors that will be most adversely affected by the Maui depletion, when it happens, will be electricity generation and the petrochemical industries.

Government and the exploration industry alike are actively promoting an enhanced exploration and production programme to find new oil and gas fields. The Minister of Energy recently said “There’s no doubt that New Zealand has plenty of gas – we just have to drill enough holes to find it, in economic quantities and locations, and attract the capital necessary to develop the fields.”

There is a general understanding that where oil is found, gas is likely to be also present.