Biomass replacement for school coal boilers

The move is part of the latest allocation from the Government’s NZ$220 million State Sector Decarbonisation Fund which supports the Carbon Neutral Government Programme, which has already achieved an emissions reduction of 433,981 tonnes of carbon over ten years – the equivalent of taking 17,400 cars off the road.

“I am delighted to announce an end to dirty coal-powered boilers in our schools. This investment means more young people will be kept warm and healthy at school, using clean, green, low-carbon energy,” said James Shaw.

“To date, the School Coal Boiler Replacement Programme has prioritised schools with the oldest and least efficient boilers, but today’s commitment is a major expansion of the programme, and means that around 180 schools with coal boilers will be in a position to prioritise the transition to clean energy”.

Other co-funding announced will enable the replacement of additional fossil-fuelled boilers across the Health, and Tertiary Education sectors, and a further 12 fleet electrification projects in the State sector. The investment will bring the total number of EVs co-funded since the fund’s establishment to 978.