Kiwis using less energy from non-renewable sources

New Zealand used less energy generated from non-renewable sources last year.

Electricity generation from non-renewable sources fell by 12 per cent in 2018, according to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's (MBIE) latest energy report.

This decrease was despite an increase in generation from coal to cope with outages at Pohokura gas field.

Electricity derived from renewable sources increased from 82 per cent in 2017 to 84 per cent.

“2018 was a significant year for the energy sector with a major shift in policy direction for the oil and gas industry and reduced production from the country’s largest gas field the most notable events," said Daniel Griffiths, MBIE spokesperson in a statement.