Ramifications of the newly announced liquified natural gas terminal in Taranaki w/ Greenpeace Chief Executive Russel Norman: 18th February, 2026

Last week, the government officially announced plans to build a liquified natural gas (or, LNG) terminal in Taranaki, with the goal of finishing construction by next year or early 2028.

The terminal is intended to provide a stopgap for New Zealand’s energy network during dry years, where hydro sources may not generate sufficient energy to support the network.

Coming at a cost of over a billion dollars, a new levy on electricity users of two to four dollars per megawatt hour, will be introduced to help fund the terminal.

However, the project has already faced criticism from groups such as Greenpeace, who pointed to the poor economic viability of the terminal and its further investment in fossil fuels during the climate crisis.

To understand more, producer Theo spoke to Greenpeace’s Chief Executive Russel Norman on the ramifications of this plan, and possible alternatives for mitigating dry year risk.